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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27596051">The Last Kiss Goodbye</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurora1994/pseuds/Aurora1994'>Aurora1994</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>She's a Demon [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Wynonna Earp (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU, Blood and Violence, Demons Hunter, Family Drama, G!P, Married Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sex, Supernatural Elements, Supernatural Nicole Haught, Supernatural Waverly Earp, Teenage Rebellion, Vampires</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 00:14:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>26,942</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27596051</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurora1994/pseuds/Aurora1994</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Intro:</p>
<p>Her big purple eyes often scrutinized what, in theory, was supposed to be her enemy: the sun.<br/>But Elisabeth had never seen the sun as an enemy, or at least not as the enemy...of course, that fireball prevented her two moms from going out and playing with her, from having ice cream all together, from doing things that any other family normally does...but they were not a normal family...and it was not the sun's fault...<br/>Morgana always told her: 'you were born from the greatest and most complicated of loves... a love between a human and a vampire. A love that not even time has been able to weaken'.</p>
<p>Or:</p>
<p>Every family has its problems, this one makes no difference. But they are vampires.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Doc Holliday/Original Character, Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught, Xavier Dolls/Wynonna Earp</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>She's a Demon [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1381981</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>48</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Six Years Later</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi,<br/>I had already published this story, but due to several problems I lost it. Thanks to some handwritten notes and some sketches saved on a flash drive I was able to recover the first chapters.<br/>The publication may not be very fast, but those who have been following me for the longest time already know this (LOL).<br/>Well, as always forgive my English: I still make some very stupid mistakes.<br/>Enjoy the story and let me know what you think.</p>
<p>PS. Also this title like the previous two is taken from a song by Lordi: Last Kiss Goodbye. Below is a piece of the lyrics that inspired this new story.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>The Last Kiss Goodbye</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>1</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Six Years Later </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>“I'll set you free though I must stay 'cause our love can't be shared...</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>This will be your one last kiss goodbye and I wish you, and I wish you...</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>This will be your one last kiss goodbye and I wish you, and I wish you well in hell...”</em>
  </p>
  <p> </p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>
    <strong>Intro.</strong>
  </p>
  <p>Her big purple eyes often scrutinized what, in theory, was supposed to be her enemy: the sun.<br/>
But Elisabeth had never seen the sun as an enemy, or at least not as <em>the</em> enemy...of course, that fireball prevented her two moms from going out and playing with her, from having ice cream all together, from doing things that any other family normally does...but they were not a normal family...and it was not the sun's fault...<br/>
Morgana always told her: 'you were born from the greatest and most complicated of loves... a love between a human and a vampire. A love that not even time has been able to weaken'.<br/>
But Elisabeth was angry with her mothers, in particular with Waverly: she would have wanted the woman to wait longer before saying goodbye to the sun... she wanted to do many things with her, things that, when the sun was out, they couldn't do. Even Nicole, after all, had her part to blame, she had been selfish: she had taken Waverly with her, taking her into the darkness of the night, forever... Moreover, Nicole had renounced being an invincible God...something Elisabeth could not quite understand...<br/>
As Elisabeth grew, so did her disappointment, slowly turning into anger, something similar to hatred...something dangerous.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>
    <strong>Sei anni dopo "They Only Come out at Night"... </strong>
  </p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>"I Promessi Sposi or The Betrothed?" Morgana asked.<br/>
Elisabeth looked at her with a bored expression... "Alessandro Manzoni...but I really don't understand what all this is for...I don't think I'll be able to kill a demon by reciting the Divine Comedy or Divina Commedia... unless I throw the book between his eyes!"<br/>
"Written by...?" Morgana ignored the comment of the girl.<br/>
"Dante Alighieri...really, grandma... can I go now? We've been on the books for three hours now...!"<br/>
Morgana smiled, a warm and sweet smile, "first tell me that you remember why the study is so important."<br/>
The girl snorted, "education is just as important as physical exercise... one must feed the mind as well as the body...a healthy mind in a healthy body...an educated mind can never stagger or fall into the darkness of ignorance...ignorance is the enemy of life...can I go now?"<br/>
The woman smiled at her with loving tenderness, "you are growing up, Elisabeth, you are six years old, but by now your body and your mind are those of a girl of almost sixteen years old, I won't clip your wings. Go ahead, but first go say goodbye to your mother."<br/>
"You are the best, grandma!" Elisabeth stood up as if the chair was burning hot, "See you tonight!" She kissed Morgana's cheek and ran away.<br/>
"Don't forget to say goodbye to your mother... never mind..." Morgana shook her head, but did not lose her smile.<br/>
"She' s growing up so fast..." Waverly Earp emerged from a dark corner of the living room.<br/>
"You've been hiding back there for a long time, maiden." It was not a question.<br/>
"I like to look at her without her noticing...when Nicole and I are not there...I don't know, she is different..." Waverly sat down next to Morgana, "sometimes I think she hates us..."<br/>
Morgana took Waverly's cold hands in her equally cold hands, "she doesn't hate you. She is a teenager...it is perfectly normal for her to seek confrontation with her parents."<br/>
"Perhaps you are right, Morgana... I thank you...with a few words you always manage to restore peace to my heart..."<br/>
"But....?" asked the raven-haired woman, smiling sweetly at the young woman.<br/>
"But...it still hurts a lot..." she replied.<br/>
"Time will fix everything, and we have all of humanity's time."<br/>
Waverly nodded, "all of humanity's time to understand my daughter..."<br/>
"Speaking of time, Nicole is late." Morgana said, looking at the horizon: the sun was about to rise.<br/>
Waverly also looked at the sky, "I think that after the night shift at the factory, she wants to go to the hospital for a few liters of blood." <br/>
"It's a good job, an honest and normal job..." she said, looking for Waverly's eyes.<br/>
Waverly nodded, but her eyes didn't leave the sky, "we needed a little normality...and Nicole... is perfect as a guard."<br/>
"My ears were ringing..." Nicole Dracula Haught appeared wrapped in a purple cloud. "You were talking about me?" She bent down to kiss Waverly's lips.<br/>
"Hello, my love..." Waverly smiled at her, "yes, you egocentric vampire, we were talking about you..." she said then, patting the redheaded woman's bottom.<br/>
"You must show me more respect, young vampire, or I will eat you!" Nicole showed her canines, but her tone was sweet and playful.<br/>
"You didn't take any bag of blood, maiden." Morgana smiled at Nicole.<br/>
"No, mother.... there was a new nurse who didn't understand my request... I was about to bite her, so I preferred to leave. I will return tonight."<br/>
"Docile as a kitten..." Waverly shook her head, but there was a smile on her face.<br/>
"Here someone really wants to be eaten alive!" Nicole took Waverly in her arms, lifting her, "now I'll show you who is as docile as a kitten!"<br/>
Waverly laughed and screamed like a little girl, "Nicole!! Put me down!"<br/>
"Forget it! I'm going to eat you up!" Nicole began to bite and kiss Waverly's neck.<br/>
"Nicole!! Please, you're tickling me!!"<br/>
Morgana smiled amusedly, before vanishing into a purple cloud.<br/>
"I want to make love with you..." Nicole's face became slightly more serious again.<br/>
Waverly tried to hold back her laughter, "first you must catch me...!" she too vanished into a purple cloud.<br/>
"You can't hide from me!" Nicole preferred to use her legs to climb the stairs, towards the bedroom.</p>
</blockquote>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Giovanni</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>
    <b>2</b>
  </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Waverly's right hand was closed around the curls of Nicole's short soft hair, "love..." she was moaning... "love... Nicole... don't stop... don't stop...!"<br/>The red-haired woman's tongue and lips worked fast against Waverly's wet, pulsating sex.<br/>"Don't stop...! God, Nicole!"<br/>Nicole couldn't resist to smile: it didn't matter how many millions of times she and Waverly have sex, for her it was always like the first one.<br/>"Love... oh, God... Nicole... I'm coming... I'm coming, Nicole!"<br/>And when Waverly screamed her name... heaven!<br/>"Nicole, Nicole... I come... Nicole!"<br/>Waverly's strong, cold thighs squeezed trembling, around the woman who once was a God.<br/>"You drive me crazy, Waverly..." Nicole's head was still imprisoned between Waverly's legs, but that was a prison she would gladly spend all eternity in.<br/>"You're driving me crazy... Nicole..." Waverly freed Nicole's head.<br/>"I love you... I love you so much, Waverly Dracula Earp..." Nicole said, sliding towards the visage of her beloved.<br/>"I love you too..." Waverly captured Nicole's lips among her own, they were still steeped in her own flavor which, mixed with Nicole's, still made her crave the red-haired woman's mouth.<br/>"Waves...?" Nicole said, leaning her cheek into the hollow of Waverly's neck.<br/>"Um...?" Waverly replied, beginning to play with a red lock, but her hand stopped a second later: Waverly could still feel, sometimes, Nicole's feelings... this time she felt anxiety, perhaps fear, "what's worrying you, Nicole?".<br/>"I was thinking... I was thinking I'd like another child..." Nicole whispered, it was a trembling, uncertain whisper.<br/>Waverly didn't answer, but Nicole didn't need to hear or read her mind... Nicole knew exactly what Waverly thought...<br/>"I know we've talked about this... but it's been three years... maybe in that time... I don't know... maybe you changed your mind..."<br/>The young woman remained silent.<br/>"Waves..." Nicole raised her head slightly so she could look at her wife's face.<br/>"Nicole... you know we have problems with Elisabeth... I don't want to get hate from another child..."<br/>Nicole stood completely up and put her hands on both sides of Waverly's head, "she doesn't hate us... why do you say that...?" She asked, looking her in the eyes.<br/>"Maybe she doesn't hate you... maybe she respects and is afraid of you... but of me..." Waverly's slightly purple eyes escaped from Nicole's purple-brown eyes.<br/>"She's growing up. It's normal for her to be a little rebellious. So was I when I was a kid... and you probably were, too..." <br/>"I didn't have time to rebel against my parents... Kasandra killed them!" A growl escaped from Waverly's lips.<br/>"Waves..."<br/>"And the second time... the second time I didn't even experience it... I have no memory of them..."<br/>"Love..." Nicole kept her balance on one hand and, with the other, she caressed her wife's cheek.<br/>"No... Nicole, I don't want any more children... not until I know whether or not I can be a mother..."<br/>"You're the best, Waverly... the best, all right? But I will never force you to do anything you don't want to do, okay?"<br/>Finally, Waverly's grey-green eyes landed on Nicole's, "forgive me..."<br/>Nicole shook her head and smiled at Waverly, "don't apologize, my love..." Nicole leaned over Waverly's naked body and hugged her.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>&lt;&lt;0&gt;&gt;&lt;&lt;0&gt;&gt;&lt;&lt;0&gt;&gt;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Elisabeth climbed to the top of the hill just in time to see the birth from the sun. She did it almost every morning to go up there, sit and wait for the star of fire.<br/>The light autumn wind blew through her soft red hair, as red as Nicole's. The air was cold, she could smell it: she didn't suffer hot or cold.<br/>"Your light is so beautiful... how can you hurt my two mothers' skin? How could they disown you...?" Those were the words she repeated every morning, looking at the sun.<br/>"Who are you talking to?" A voice behind her made her jump out of fright.<br/>" Who are you? What are you doing here?!" Elisabeth took a defensive posture, looking at the boy staring at her intrigued.<br/>"My name is Giovanni... I'm looking for my dog..." his big dark brown eyes stared curiously at her, "Are you an elf?"<br/>"What makes you think I'm an elf?" Elisabeth asked, not knowing how to behave.<br/>The boy raised his shoulders, "I don't know... your eyes are so big and purple... and your hair so red..."<br/>"I'm not an elf." The girl continued to maintain the defensive position, but she began to relax a bit: she did not perceive any danger coming from the young boy.<br/>"I really like your eyes..." Giovanni blushed.<br/>"I like your hair... it's so black that it looks blue... like my grandmother's..." Elisabeth didn't know what made her talk.<br/>"Does your grandmother color her hair? Then maybe yours are contact lenses..." Maybe it was disappointment, that note in the boy's tone.<br/>"My grandmother doesn't dye her hair! And my eyes are real, silly!" Elisabeth crossed her arms at her chest, on her barely sketched breast.<br/>"Excuse me, I didn't mean to offend you..." he raised his arms, " sorry... now I'm going to look for my dog..." he turned his back to her and started going down. But only three steps later, Giovanni turned again, "can I just know your name...?"<br/>"Elisabeth." She answered, loosening her arms.<br/>"That's a really nice name, Elisabeth..." Giovanni said, smiling kindly. "I hope to see you again..." he raised his hand and shake it, "ciao!"<br/>"Are you Italian?" Elisabeth took a few steps towards him, "my grandmother's Italian too..."<br/>She had never had friends, never in her six, almost seven years of life, lived as if they were many more, but that boy... Giovanni... she didn't know why, but he intrigued her.<br/>"Yes, I'm Italian, but I remember almost nothing of my native language..." he seemed sad, "so..."<br/>"I speak Italian too, I can help you remember... if you want..." Elisabeth was taking a risk: her mother and Morgana had been clear: 'never reveal your identity to humans, they would not understand. They cannot know about us.' <br/>But there was nothing wrong with having a friend, right?<br/>"Would you really do that for me?" Giovanni's eyes shone with happiness.<br/>"Sure... but you must do something for me." Elisabeth stopped a few steps away, "you have to promise not to tell anyone you saw me."<br/>"It's because of the strange color of your eyes, isn't it?" Giovanni asked, becoming a little sadder.<br/>Elisabeth nodded, "yes, that's the reason... human beings, many times, are afraid of what they don't understand..."<br/>"So you're not a human being...?" It wasn't clear what was in his tone, what shade of what emotion.<br/>"Are you afraid?" Elisabeth was already regretting the confidence she had given the young man.<br/>"No, I'm not afraid of you..." Giovanni answered, looking elsewhere.<br/>"But...?"<br/>"I don't know... maybe I shouldn't talk to you... maybe I better go now..." but he didn't move.<br/>"What for?"<br/>"My daddy... my daddy's a demon hunter..." he said, in a very low voice.<br/>"My family has a lot of demon hunters, too. I'm training to be as good as Aunt Wynonna myself. Hey...! Wait a minute. You thought I was a demon?" Elisabeth shouted.<br/>"You told me you weren't human..." Giovanni's eyes were still far from the girl's eyes.<br/>"So what? It doesn't mean that if you're not human then you're a demon! Who makes such idiotic notions?! Besides, not all demons are bad, like mine..." but Elizabeth was able to stop herself before revealing her family's identity.<br/>"My dad... my dad makes such idiotic notions, as you call them." The eyes of the young man rose up, "and my father is not an idiot! Do you understand?!" Giovanni ran away before she could say a word.<br/>Elisabeth could easily have reached him and killed him... but she chose to let him go, even though she knew the danger she had caused.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>&lt;&lt;0&gt;&gt;&lt;&lt;0&gt;&gt;&lt;&lt;0&gt;&gt;</p>
<p><br/>"Nicole, Wynonna's on the phone. You want to talk to her?" Waverly asked, pulling the cell phone away from her head.<br/>Nicole nodded, "with pleasure."<br/>"Wynonna, hey..." Nicole said, as she put the cell phone to her ear, "how are you and Dolls? And little Jack?"<br/>Jack was the son born from the marriage between Wynonna and Xavier, a child with a cheerful smile and milk-colored skin... really a beautiful child.<br/>"Jack grows up fast. He's a smart, strong kid, just like his parents." Wynonna's laugh tickled Nicole's eardrum, "and Elisabeth? Has her growth slowed?"<br/>"The way she grows up is normalizing, yes." Nicole took a short break, "when do you plan to return to Purgatory?"<br/>"Well, maybe we'll come visit you this Christmas... before I go back to my old life, I want to make sure Jack's old enough to understand, but tell me, do you miss me?"<br/>"Silly... of course I miss you, Wynonna... there's no one here to sing Lordi at the top of my lungs...!" Nicole smiled.<br/>Wynonna laughed loudly, "what a sad world, Nicole, what a sad world!"<br/>"It's true...!" Nicole laughed, too.<br/>"Hey, Nicole... have you had any news about Doc?" Wynonna's tone was serious again.<br/>"No, after his marriage to Max went south, I never heard from him again..."<br/>"Okay... well, I'll write him a letter since he doesn't use his cell phone... I'll say goodbye now, it's almost midnight here in Italy."<br/>"I forgot the time difference... and that you poor mortals should sleep!" Nicole smiled. She loved making fun of Wynonna like that.<br/>"Watch out, vampire!" Wynonna laughed again.<br/>"See you soon, we'll be waiting..."<br/>"See you soon, Nicole... and remember: Hard Rock...?"<br/>"Hallelujah!" Nicole answered.<br/>"Yeeeeah! See you soon!"<br/>"Wynonna is still the same crazy woman..." Nicole said, returning Waverly's cell phone.<br/>"I miss her very much..."<br/>"I know, love..." Nicole took Waverly from behind, putting her hands around her belly, "but maybe we'll see her again at Christmas."<br/>"Do you think she's aged a lot...?" Waverly laid her hands on Nicole's, resting her back against the taller woman's chest.<br/>Nicole smiled, "it's only been three years..."<br/>"I know... but... forget my words, Nicole..." Waverly surrendered to the freezing familiar of Nicole's body.<br/>"It's okay to be afraid of time, Waverly... but everything's gonna be okay..."<br/>"I'm afraid that time will simply pass and I won't notice... I'm afraid I'll see my sister with white hair... on her deathbed..."<br/>"I won't let you lose track of time... okay? I promise."<br/>"I can understand what you mean now... I can understand you now, Nicole..." Waverly said, letting a cold tear run down her cheek.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Nicole e Elisabeth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>
    <b>3</b>
  </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Elisabeth had been on the hill for almost the entire day. The meeting with Giovanni had confused her, even though she could not give a name to that confusion.<br/>Maybe she shouldn't have let him go... even better: she shouldn't have talked to him at all... but now it was late, 'you can't erase the past, you have to go ahead and do better'... that's what Morgana would have told her. Elizabeth had never seen Morgana angry... ever! But she didn't know if she would confide with her grandmother, she still didn't know... what could she tell her?<br/>No. It would be like admitting she was stupid.<br/>The sun was about to set. It was time to go home and get ready for battle lesson with Nicole...<br/>Elisabeth came slowly down the hill. All day was not enough to calm down. She needed to take some more time...</p>
<p>" She's late... dinner's going to get cold." Nicole shook her head.<br/>"Turn on the gas with the flame low, so the soup stays warm." Waverly suggested, from behind Nicole's back.<br/>"It's a question of discipline." But Nicole did as Waverly had suggested, reigniting the fire under the pot. "Discipline is important."<br/>"Love..." Waverly smiled at Nicole's back. She loved to watch her Nicole doing chores, giving her a sense of normality and home... "maybe we should be less strict with her."<br/>Nicole turned to Waverly, "it's not a question of severity, it's a question of discipline and respect. I will not allow my daughter to become someone incapable of keeping her word."<br/>"You're both right, maidens, but there's no reason to bring discontent on a beautiful evening like this. I am sure Elizabeth will have a good reason for her lateness." Morgana smiled at them both.<br/>"Perhaps you're right, Mother... sometimes I wish I could keep you calm." Nicole sat between Waverly and Morgana at the kitchen table.<br/>"You're young, Nicole." Morgana smiled at the redheaded woman.<br/>"I hope that in two hundred years, then, I will be able to control my emotions better..."<br/>"But do you also count your human years? Without that, I don't exist, practically..." Waverly said, it wasn't clear whether she was kidding or not.<br/>"The era of age discrimination has been over for a few centuries now, don't worry, child." Morgana turned to Waverly and gave her a sweet smile. "And now we are the last three vampires, the last family... that's what's important... being a family."<br/>"Thank you Morgana... but tell me, I think I've guessed it, but what exactly was this discrimination about?" Waverly asked.<br/>Thinking about it, they didn't often speak from the past, almost as if it had become a silent taboo... of course, Morgana had told Elisabeth something too, but the girl didn't know exactly how things had gone, not her family history... not everything.<br/>"It's very simple, maiden." Morgana said, "there was a time, the time when vampires lived at peace with humans, but just as much peace was absent in our souls... it's normal, but it wasn't fair or right." The woman paused and a sad smile was drawn on her lips, "there were some families of vampires, mostly descendants, they said, of Carmilla herself: the legendary vampire who existed before Dracula; who killed vampires considered too young or impure... many died as innocent, mutilated before a stake was driven into their hearts".<br/>"It doesn't make any sense...! If they killed them before they could 'grow old' what was the point in killing them...? I really don't understand." Waverly seemed upset and angry.<br/>"You had to earn the privilege of becoming an elder. You had to fight with all your strength, few survived: it was an unequal challenge... it could happen that a novice had to face even ten elders." Nicole said, looking at an imprecise spot in the room. "I was lucky: I met Morgana and, at the time, vampires were less and less... we were becoming extinct... we had lost the war against humans."<br/>"War? What war?" Waverly asked, "I've never heard of it..."<br/>"We never talk. Humans and vampires have decided to forget, to pretend it never happened, that it never existed." Nicole replied, still not looking at anything.<br/>"But if humans have had such a great victory, why didn't they write songs and books and stuff? I don't understand..."<br/>"They have not won with honour..." Morgana replied.<br/>"What does that mean?"<br/>Nicole scratched an eyebrow, that vice had remained even after time travel, "it's not something I think we should talk about, not here, not tonight."<br/>Waverly was about to ask why, but she immediately understood the reason: she too could hear their daughter's breath, hidden somewhere.<br/>"You have to learn to be more silent." Nicole crossed her arms to the chest, "come on out, dinner's ready."<br/>"Yes, Mother." Elisabeth entered the kitchen with her head down: disappointed to have been discovered so quickly.<br/>"Where have you been? Dinner has been ready for over half an hour." Nicole got up and put out the fire, "I've told you many times you have to respect the schedule." She took the burning pot in her hands and poured some soup into a bowl.<br/>"Sometimes I wonder what's the point of being special if we can't do what we want..." the girl sitting next to Morgana, "am I right, Granny?" She asked her, looking for the raven-haired woman's eyes.<br/>"Your mother has her reasons, everything your mothers say or do is for your own good." Morgana smiled at her with loving tenderness.<br/>"Freedom is a concept which, if misinterpreted, can be more dangerous than imprisonment." Nicole put the bowl full of soup in front of Elisabeth, "eat now, afterwards you will come with me to the hospital and we will practice. We don't have much time, I have to work afterwards." Nicole also sat down at the table.<br/>"Yes, Mother." Elisabeth picked up the spoon and started eating.<br/>Waverly had been silent the whole time: she had noticed something in her daughter's eyes, "is something wrong, honey?" She asked.<br/>Elisabeth shook her head, "no, everything's perfect."<br/>"Are you sure? Something seems to be worrying you." Waverly knew she was right. A mother sees everything.<br/>"I said it's okay, let me eat in peace."<br/>"Elisabeth, I will not tolerate you talking to your mother like this. You owe her your life, you owe her respect. Apologize!" Nicole pointed her purple eyes into her daughter's.<br/>"Nicole, it's okay..." Waverly raised her hands, "you don't have to get mad."<br/>"I said, apologize!" Nicole yelled, ignoring her wife's words.<br/>"Sorry, Mother..." Elisabeth said, dropping the spoon into the bowl still almost full.<br/>"I accept your apology." Waverly smiled at her, but Elisabeth had her head down and didn't see her.<br/>"Are you done eating?" Nicole stood up, that sounded like a statement and not a question.<br/>"Yes, Mother." Elisabeth got up too.<br/>"Haven't you eaten too little?" Waverly asked, "don't you like it?"<br/>"It was good, but I'm full, thanks." She answered, her tone was almost bored.<br/>"Let's go." Nicole headed for the door.</p>
<p>"Ready? Let's see how much better your run is."<br/>"But I'm already faster than you... mother." Elisabeth said, when she and Nicole were in the main courtyard.<br/>"I know, but you have to do better than that." Nicole replied.<br/>Elisabeth, as she was a dampyr, was much faster than Nicole, the woman had to use one hundred percent of the force in her legs to keep up with her daughter.<br/>"All right, Mother. I'm ready." Elisabeth prepared for the race.<br/>"Let's go!" Nicole snapped a second before Elisabeth, but the girl caught up with her and overcame her easily.</p>
<p>"Almost a minute head start... good, Elisabeth." Nicole smiled at her daughter when she joined her in front of the hospital.<br/>"Thank you, Mother." She smiled at Nicole too: her mother didn't often compliment her, so it was a special moment.<br/>"Do you think I can do any better?" She asked.<br/>Nicole nodded, "sure, if you practice every day you'll become invincible."<br/>"Like you were? When you were a God...?"<br/>"Morgana shouldn't have told you that story." Nicole took a few steps forward so Elisabeth couldn't see her face.<br/>"Grandma didn't tell me much, like I don't know how you became one..." Elisabeth said, looking at Nicole's back.<br/>"It's not a story I like to talk about, you should forget it." Nicole replied, without looking back at her daughter.<br/>"I just want to know what it feels like..."<br/>"You try so many things. But power is not everything, remember these words, Elizabeth." Nicole began to advance towards the hospital entrance.<br/>Elisabeth was not satisfied, she sometimes thought her mother was a weak, selfish, nihilistic woman with no past or future... very selfish and weak. She was sure that Nicole didn't want to tell her the secret to becoming a God for fear that she would be a better God than what Nicole surely was.</p>
<p>"Good evening Nicole, who do we have here? Her face looks familiar." The nurse smiled at Nicole and looked closely at the girl.<br/>"Good evening, Margaret, this is my niece, Elizabeth." Nicole was forced to lie: how could she explain Elizabeth's appearance? She was only six years old, but she looked much older. And Margaret knew that Nicole and Waverly had a daughter, adopted, she thought.<br/>Elisabeth didn't like it at all. She thought her mother was ashamed of her.<br/>"Maybe you shouldn't wear those weird colored lenses. You'll ruin your eyes."<br/>Elisabeth was going to say something, but Nicole was faster, "youth fashions. I made sure they were safe before I let her wear them. Anyway, I came to pick up this week's three bags."<br/>"Oh, sure. I'll be right back." Margaret walked away.<br/>"I don't like that woman, and I don't like you disowning me as a daughter either."<br/>"I do not disown you, Elisabeth. She simply wouldn't understand." Nicole replied, looking her daughter in the eyes, "not all monsters have fangs, always remember that."<br/>" She seems like a good person, even though, I repeat, I don't like her."<br/>"We can't trust anyone but ourselves."<br/>"We could easily kill them all and rule this world." Elisabeth crossed her arms to her chest.<br/>Nicole felt weak and dirty: those words reminded her of Kasandra and her madness of conquest, "get such nonsense out of your head. We only kill in defense."<br/>"But that's how it is, isn't it? We could easily take over the world?" Elisabeth asked, avoiding Nicole's eyes.<br/>The red-haired woman was about to answer, but Margaret's return made her desist.<br/>"Here you go. Someday you'll explain to me what you need all that blood for..." she said, handing the blood to Nicole.<br/>"I thought Wynonna had taken care of everything. Why do you seem to be having doubts now? Don't you remember why?" Nicole stared into the woman's eyes.<br/>"Oh, of course, now I remember everything! Have a nice evening!" The woman smiled and walked away.<br/>"How do you do that? How do you control the minds of humans?"<br/>"I can't explain it to you, it's something that belongs to me. Morgana can read people's memories and share them with other beings; I control human behavior, in its limits." Nicole replied.<br/>"What skills does Mommy have?"<br/>"We don't know yet. She' too young." Nicole turned towards the exit.<br/>"So could I develop some skills like yours or Grandma's?" Elisabeth joined Nicole.<br/>"You're the first dampyr I've ever had to deal with, I can't answer that. But perhaps Morgana has the answers to your questions. If an answer exists."<br/>Elisabeth would have wanted her mother to be more talkative, to tell her more things... and to stop talking in riddles.</p>
<p>"Okay, I have about an hour and a half, then I have to go to work." Nicole said, placing the three bags of blood at the foot of a large cypress tree.<br/>"Like yesterday?" Elisabeth asked.<br/>"Same as yesterday." She nodded, "free the tail, you know it's perfect for balance." Nicole rolled up her shirt sleeves above her elbows.<br/>"I don't like to have a tail..." Elisabeth stood still.<br/>"We've already talked about this. I won't let you cut it."<br/>"But the body is mine." Elisabeth insisted.<br/>"There is no doubt about it, but I am your mother and until you are old enough I will make the decisions for you."<br/>"Yes, Mother." Elisabeth pulled up her shirt, revealing a flat, muscular abdomen around which was her tail.<br/>"I am a snake demon, where do you aim to kill me?"<br/>"In the eyes or nostrils: your body is hard as diamond, I may not be able to penetrate the breastplate." Elisabeth answered.<br/>"Very well. What if I'm a shape-shifter? How do you figure out what kind of demon I really am? How do you discover my weaknesses?"<br/>"Let you fight for a while, when you're tired enough you'll instinctively start protecting your vulnerable spot, you'll do it without even realizing it."<br/>"Okay, what if I'm stronger than you?"<br/>"I don't like this at all..." Elisabeth wagged her tail like an angry cat.<br/>" Answer."<br/>"I run away... I'm definitely faster than them..."<br/>"Very good. What are you doing against a vampire?" Nicole continued with the oral exam before the fight.<br/>" It makes no sense... why would you and Mummy or Morgana attack me?" Elisabeth didn't really understand the meaning of the question.<br/>"It's better to know things we'll never need than to need them and not know them."<br/>"A wooden stake in the heart... holy water and sunlight... this can kill a vampire..."<br/>"What if you don't have these three things?" Nicole took one step towards Elizabeth.<br/>"I don't know..."<br/>"Very bad... very, very bad..." Nicole snapped forward and her right hand hit Elizabeth's face, a scarlet cut appeared on her cheek.<br/>"Why the hell did you let yourself get hit?!" Nicole seems angry.<br/>"You hurt me!" Elisabeth cried out, covering her wound with one hand.<br/>"You were supposed to dodge my attack!"<br/>"You didn't warn me before you attacked!" Elisabeth yelled.<br/>"Do you think a demon asks your permission before attacking? Do you think he offers you a cup of tea?" Nicole shook her head.<br/>"You really hurt me..." Elisabeth said again, "and no matter how soon the wound heals, you shouldn't have done it!"<br/>"Avenge yourself, attack me! I am your vampire, I am your enemy." Nicole spread her arms.<br/>"I don't want to hurt you." Elisabeth shook her head, "I can't think of you as an enemy."<br/>"I will hit you until you stop me." Nicole began again to advance towards Elizabeth.<br/>"I said I don't want to hurt you!"<br/>But Nicole didn't stop.<br/>"Mama!" Elisabeth started to back off, "you said we'd do it like yesterday!"<br/>"Didn't I interrogate you yesterday? Didn't we practice hand-to-hand?" The woman kept walking towards Elisabeth with her eyes glowing purple.<br/>"Why are you angry with me?!"<br/>Nicole stopped, immobilizing herself, it was true: she was angry with Elisabeth, she was angry because the girl had made her think about Kasandra... "I am not angry. Now defend yourself!" Nicole started running.<br/>"You made me do it!" Elisabeth also started running towards Nicole.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Anger</h2></a>
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<p>"Stop holding yourself back!" Nicole yelled, landing on a tree branch.<br/>"I can't do it, Mom... I can't do it! I don't want to hurt you! If you keep attacking like that... you know..." Elisabeth looked up to her mother, hoping that she would understand her reasons.<br/>"I am your enemy! Put it on your head!"<br/>"No, you're not! You're my mother!" Elisabeth shook her head pretty hard.<br/>Nicole jumped down, "I'm gonna start playing for real, it's your choice." Nicole's eyes glowed with their beautiful, menacing purple.<br/>"You won't hurt me." Elisabeth crossed her arms to the chest.<br/>"Wanna bet?" Nicole showed her canines as a sign of threat.</p>
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<p>"Nicole is angry... again." Waverly said, looking away from the book of poems she was reading.<br/>"She feels there's something strange in the air." Morgana said, as she kept looking at the fire in the fireplace, none of them needed it, but it was nice to see. "And I feel it too..."<br/>Waverly remained silent for a few seconds, trying to separate Nicole's emotions from her own, "I'm not sure I understand what you mean, Morgana..."<br/>"You're very young. Six years as a vampire makes you very much like a human infant." Morgana turned and smiled at Waverly, she wanted to make her understand that she wasn't judging her. "Nicole and I sense danger, a danger that frightens us because we can't name it."<br/>"Do you think something... something from the past is coming back for us?" Waverly had a hard time saying that question.<br/>Morgana looked back at the fireplace, "I don't know, maiden..."<br/>"You said there might be consequences after Nicole's time travel... but it's been over six years..." Waverly looked for the words to go on, "we're vampires, right? There's nothing in the world more dangerous than us, not anymore... and we don't have any bad intentions."<br/>"Much as it pains me to say this, I have no answers to your questions, which are not so different from mine." Morgana looked Waverly in the eyes, "but don't worry, child. You don't want to lose your head over something that might turn out to be silly."<br/>"I trust you, Morgana..." Waverly said, then she added, "someone's coming..."<br/>Morgana raised her head, "it's the sheriff's car... I recognize the sound of his muffler."<br/>"I smell trouble..." Waverly got up by placing the book of poems on the mantelpiece.<br/>About a minute later, someone knocked on the door.<br/>"Good evening, Nedley." Waverly smiled at the sheriff.<br/>"Good evening to you, Waverly..." he looked uncomfortable, probably hadn't gotten used to Wynonna's absence yet, "we've been alerted to the presence of a demon in the woods north of here. Two children are missing... we think the figure who was seen abducting the children is the same one who was seen going into the woods."<br/>"All right, we'll take care of it." But Waverly knew the sheriff hadn't concluded, "anything else you need to tell me?" She asked.<br/>The sheriff took off his hat to scratch his head under his thin blond hair, "actually yes." He nodded, then put his hat back on, "another demon hunter has arrived in town..."<br/>"Oh..." Waverly said, trying to guess what effect this might have on her family.<br/>"As you know, I kept your identity a secret. We've been friends for years, Waverly... and Wynonna always trusted me..." it seemed like he didn't know exactly what to say, "I know you're the good guys. We've been settling this for many years already, but..."<br/>"But?" Waverly asked.<br/>"I don't know... maybe I'm just making a tiny little thing out in something huge."<br/>"We'll take care of it, thanks for telling me, Randy." She smiled at him.<br/>"Well, I'm counting on you to get those kids back to their mothers..."<br/>"We'll do everything we can. You have my word."</p>
<p>"I can't smell any demons..." Waverly said, walking alongside Morgana.<br/>Morgana looked around, but apart from the dense trees, she saw nothing, "the forest is very large. We're probably in the wrong area."<br/>"Or maybe he's able to hide his scent. Let's try to find the children's scent." Waverly suggested.<br/>"Your intelligence will never cease to amaze me, my child." Morgana gave her a sweet smile, "it's important not to be overwhelmed by the demon inside."<br/>Waverly smiled gratefully at her, then she started to smell the air.<br/>"It didn't do any good... I can't smell anything."<br/>"Don't worry, maiden. You had a good idea." Morgana said. "I suggest we look further north, where the forest becomes wilder."<br/>"Seems like the sensible thing to do, I'll follow you." Waverly nodded.</p>
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<p><br/>"You're pissing me off, Elisabeth!" Nicole growled. "Stop running away!"<br/>"I'm gonna hurt you! You've got to stop! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Elisabeth cried out and kept backing away.<br/>It wasn't just because Elisabeth reminded her of Kasandra, was it? No, it wasn't just that...</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Shadow of a Great Power</h2></a>
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<p>The blow came hard against the belly... it was a really powerful punch.<br/>Elisabeth's slide was held back by a large oak tree, against which her back impacted.<br/>"Get up!" Nicole walked towards the young girl, her pace seemed like the march of an unstoppable soldier.<br/>Elisabeth was leaning against the ground with hands and knees, her face was hidden.<br/>But Nicole had sensed something, because she stopped and smiled, " finally."<br/>Elisabeth was motionless for a few seconds, but her body was shaking strongly.<br/>Nicole put herself in a defensive position, the smile had disappeared from her face, leaving behind a grimace of concentration.<br/>The dampir rose as if an invisible force had lifted her, and now she was levitating a few inches off the ground, "it was you who wanted this." She said, raising her head. Her eyes glowed red, they were like two rubies in the sunlight.<br/>Nicole stood still, waiting for the attack.<br/>"Now prepare to suffer the consequences." A human eye could never have seen the girl's movement... even Nicole's eye had trouble seeing it.<br/>"Too slow!" Nicole held Elisabeth's fist just inches from her face. The shock wave had pushed Nicole's red hair back, giving her a strange but beautiful hairstyle.<br/>"Don't underestimate me. Never!" Elisabeth's free arm touched Nicole's shoulder, but she couldn't hit it. But Elisabeth's left leg hit Nicole's pelvis.<br/>"Shit!" Nicole screamed in pain when the head of the femur temporarily left her pelvic joint.<br/>The dampir wasted no time and, taking advantage of her opponent's pain, she violently punched Nicole's face.<br/>The red-haired woman fell several meters away, but just as she was about to get up, another blow threw her far away.<br/>Before another kick could hurt her, Nicole disappeared into a purple cloud.<br/>"Don't run away! You coward!" Elisabeth yelled.<br/>Nicole reappeared behind Elisabeth's back. Her leg was about to hit the back of Elisabeth's head, but the dampir lowered herself, avoiding the blow. Elisabeth turned on herself, and her forearm hit Nicole's cheekbone.<br/>"Well done..." Nicole got up, trying to put her jaw back in place.<br/>"You're weak." It was contempt in Elisabeth's tone, "too weak."<br/>Nicole laughed, spitting black blood.<br/>"When I'm done with you, you won't be laughing anymore." Quickly, Elisabeth jumped towards Nicole.</p>
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<p>Waverly and Morgana suddenly stopped.<br/>"What is it?!" Waverly asked, "I sense something... something huge and dark..."<br/>"It's Elisabeth..." Morgana whispered, "Nicole must have awakened Elizabeth's darkness..."<br/>"My daughter cannot generate such a murderous fury...!" Waverly shouted.<br/>"Nicole went too far. At this rate, the young woman will not be able to control herself... We have to find them now!"<br/>"But we can't abandon those children! You find Nicole and Elizabeth, I'll take care of the demon...!" Waverly said, trying to control her emotions.<br/>"Maybe even three vampires can't face a dampir in that state... we need to get Nicole away from Elizabeth." Morgana answered.<br/>"But... Elizabeth would never hurt us!" Waverly cried out.<br/>"That's not Elizabeth anymore..."<br/>"What does that mean?"<br/>"Afterwards, I'll explain everything to you. Come on now, follow me!" Morgana began to run to the west.</p>
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<p>Nicole was on the ground, motionless.<br/>"This is the end of you." Elisabeth grabbed Nicole's red hair and lifted her up.<br/>"What is so funny?" The dampir asked, looking at the completely swollen and smiling face of Nicole Haught.<br/>"You did well, Elizabeth..." Nicole's voice was a weak whisper.<br/>"Die." Elisabeth was about to sink her hand into Nicole's chest to rip her heart out, but strong arms grabbed her from behind.<br/>"Stop!" Waverly cried out while Morgana held Elisabeth.<br/>"You are not my prey. Get out of here." The dampir stood still in Morgana's arms.<br/>"Take Nicole and go away!" Morgana cried to Waverly.<br/>"You must not meddle...!"Nicole got back on her feet, wavering. Nicole got back on her feet, waving.<br/>"Now, Waverly!"Morgana said.<br/>Waverly was frightened: Elisabeth didn't seem herself at all, and Morgana was visibly scared... Morgana is never scared...<br/>"Shit..." Waverly grabbed the blood bags and disappeared with Nicole.</p>
<p>"I said you shouldn't have interfered!" Nicole rejected the blood that Waverly was offering her.<br/>"Don't be stupid, Nicole. Drink and then explain to me what the hell you were doing!"<br/>"I have awakened Elizabeth."<br/>"What does that mean? What the hell were you thinking? Were you trying to get yourself killed?" Waverly was shaking with fear and anger.<br/>"She wouldn't kill me." Nicole said, continuing to ignore the blood bag.<br/>"Excuse me, but I have a different opinion. What the hell did you think you were getting?!"<br/>"Elisabeth must be ready..." Nicole answered.<br/>"Ready? Ready for what? Nicole, hell, stop talking in riddles!" Waverly was running out of patience.<br/>"Something's wrong, Waverly. I feel danger about to knock on our door..."<br/>"Morgana feels something too... but that doesn't answer my question!"<br/>"Elisabeth is a dampir... she's very powerful, but she must be able to awaken her strength or she won't be able to defend herself."<br/>"Defend against what? We're defending her! What are you talking about, Nicole?!"<br/>"I don't know yet, Waverly..." Nicole finally took the bag and drank the blood.<br/>"You're scaring me, Nicole..." Waverly let herself fall into the armchair next to the fire off of the fireplace.<br/>Nicole looked her wife in the eye, "I wish I could tell you not to be afraid, but I can't..."<br/>Waverly looked into Nicole's still purple eyes for a few seconds, "did you hurt her?"<br/>"Elizabeth? No, she scrambled me." Nicole smiled.<br/>"That's not funny, Nicole." Waverly shook her head, "I want to know what you did to her."<br/>"I told you, I woke her up."<br/>"That's not an answer, Nicole."<br/>Nicole took a few steps towards Waverly, "honey... can you just trust me?" She asked her, placing her hands on her wife's knees.<br/>"No. I want explanations, Nicole. We're not just talking about you, we're talking about our daughter."<br/>Nicole scratched an eyebrow, "a being more powerful than you, Morgana and me combined..."<br/>"That wasn't my daughter I saw in the woods."<br/>"Yes, she was, Waverly..." Nicole tightened her grip on Waverly's legs.<br/>"What's hiding in my daughter's chest? What have you awakened, Nicole?"<br/>"Our daughter, Waverly, is also my daughter." Nicole stood up, "I've awakened some of her true potential... something I'm sure will be our secret weapon."<br/>"She' s not a weapon, Nicole!" Waverly stood up, "I won't let you play with her!"<br/>"Play with her?! Who the hell do you think I am?! A monster?" Nicole yelled.<br/>"I will not let you take my daughter away from me, do you understand?!" Waverly yelled, too.<br/>"What the hell are you talking about? Are you listening to the words coming out of your mouth?!" Nicole pointed her finger at Waverly, "you're pissing me off, Waverly!"<br/>"You're pissing me off, Nicole! I don't recognize you anymore!"<br/>"Maybe you never knew me..." Nicole growled.<br/>"What is this murderous feeling, Nicole? Is it for me? Are you thinking of hurting me?!"<br/>"Don't provoke me..." Nicole's voice was still a growl, "I will not allow our daughter to be weak and unprepared!"<br/>"It's me who won't let you play God with my daughter!" Waverly's eyes turned purple.<br/>Nicole's anger was growing like the foam in a pot of boiling water, "she's our daughter! If you get in my way, I won't hesitate to..." but Nicole didn't finish the sentence.<br/>"Do what, Nicole? Kill me?"<br/>"No... I..." Nicole started to back down.<br/>"Maybe they were right... you're just a demon..."<br/>Nicole tried to calm down, but it was really hard, "then kill me, hunter! You should have done that years ago."<br/>"Yeah, maybe I should have." That was anger talking.<br/>"Don't go against me, Waverly... I will defend my daughter, whatever the price."<br/>"It's you she needs to be defended by!"<br/>"Enough!" Morgana appeared between the two women, "that's enough."<br/>"Where is Elisabeth?" Nicole and Waverly asked.<br/>"Somewhere safe. Now you both need to calm down. We cannot let fear cloud our rationality. Take control of yourselves."</p>
<p>Morgana's presence seemed to have broken the spell.<br/>"What is this immense anger I feel growing in my chest? It sounds like the growl of a beast..." Waverly said, sitting back in the armchair.<br/>"It's clouding our minds... we can't go on like this. We'll end up killing each other..." Nicole said, then she looked at Waverly, "forgive me, love, I would never hurt you."<br/>"And I don't think you're just a demon, of course I don't. I love you and I know you love our daughter..." Waverly said, giving a sad, bitter smile to her wife.<br/>"Something's coming, something we know we can't control or fight." Morgana said, "something that awakens the darkness in our hearts."<br/>"How can we fight an invisible enemy? An enemy whose nature we even ignore?" Nicole asked, looking for her mother's eyes to find calm and hope. "What could be so scary out there?"<br/>Morgana shook her head, "it pains me to admit I do not have the answer to your questions, maiden."<br/>"We must put these thoughts aside. Children have been kidnapped by a demon. We have to find them." Waverly stood up, "if Elizabeth is safe, we can do our duty and keep our oath."</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Friendship</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It was a lot of fun writing this chapter, I hope you find it enjoyable too.<br/>Here in Italy it's now December 31st, so I take this space to wish you all a happy new year. Hoping that your lives will be better and more peaceful in this new beginning.<br/>-Aurora.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
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</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>What was the meaning of that huge killer instinct that had pushed her to the edge of taking her own mother's life? Elizabeth didn't know for certain, she wasn't even sure she wanted it, an answer.<br/>"It was her fault!" The dampir yelled, throwing a powerful fist into the trunk of an oak tree. <br/>She felt that something between Nicole and her was broken forever, something that was already full of cracks....<br/>"Weak and cowardly..." she growled, "so weak, still..."  Elizabeth stopped her reflections: she had heard something coming from the thick of the forest.<br/>The dampir positioned herself in a defensive pose, making sure her feet gripped the ground well: she was ready to face whatever was about to emerge.<br/>She wasn't scared, actually, Elizabeth hoped it was a demon: she imagined Nicole's face when she would drop the demon's head at her feet, telling her -see? I defeated it myself.-<br/>And at that point, Nicole would be so impressed by Elizabeth's power that she would reveal to her the secret to becoming a god.<br/>"It's close..." the dampir's muscles tensed hard: the thing that was coming had no chance, Elisabeth's attack would be so fast and lethal that the opponent wouldn't even have time to breathe.<br/>Only a few meters and...<br/>Elisabeth sprinted forward ready to strike, but she almost lost her balance: she had to stop suddenly.<br/>"What the hell are you doing here all by yourself?"  Elizabeth asked, looking at the newcomer who was obviously not a demon.<br/>The dog waved its furry white tail, "I want to go home to Giovanni."<br/>The dampir held her breath: had the dog just spoken?<br/>"Help me." The dog licked his mouth and, sitting up, he took to looking at Elizabeth with those big, brown, languid eyes.<br/>"Woah!" Elisabeth suddenly forgot all the anger and pain. "I can understand what you're saying! Do you realize that!" She jumped on the spot, happy as a clam.<br/>The animal raised his right paw, up and down, "help me find Giovanni."<br/>"Sure! Excuse me, puppy." She took the dog's paw in her hand, "but first introductions: I'm Elisabeth, what's your name?"<br/>"Pongo." The dog waved his tail sweeping through the underbrush.<br/>"What a strange name..." she said.<br/>"Giovanni chose it."<br/>"OH!" Elisabeth exclaimed, "I get it! It's the Italian word for that clay-like thing kids usually play with!"<br/>The dog looked at her, bending his head to one side.<br/>"Yeah, sorry!" She laughed embarrassed, "You can't remember how to get home, can you?" <br/>"I lost the smell of Giovanni."<br/>"Wait a minute! Giovanni is the boy I saw this afternoon, in fact he was looking for his dog!"<br/>"It must be my Giovanni, I have no doubt!" The dog got back on all fours, waving his tail more forcefully.<br/>"Yeah, I doubt that here in Canada, there are many Giovanni." She said, reasoning aloud.<br/>"Shall we go?" The dog bent over on his front paws, continuing to wag his tail briskly.<br/>"Sure, let's go back up the hill, from there I'll be able to follow the footprints he left and his scent." Elizabeth turned her head south, where the hill she climbed every morning was positioned.<br/>"Giovanni! Giovanni!" The dog took to jumping joyfully with his tongue hanging out of his open mouth.</p><p>"Here we are." Elizabeth said, when the two of them were at the top of the small hill, "I saw him come down that way, toward the west." <br/>"I can't smell him." The dog said, sniffing the grass, "the night dew must have erased it..."<br/>"Strange," Elizabeth said, "I still smell it. Never mind. Follow me, I'll take you to him!" And so she began to run sniffing the air like a bloodhound.<br/>The dog followed her at a short distance, trying not to lose the girl from sight.</p><p>Elisabeth and Pongo did not travel many miles, maybe a couple.<br/>Elisabeth certainly did not expect that the trail left by the young man would lead her to a clearing in the forest where, as she observed, stood a house not so dissimilar to the homestead.<br/>"Wow... I didn't know there was a house here." Elisabeth seemed genuinely surprised: yet she was sure she had explored every nook and cranny of those forests.<br/>"I see Giovanni!" The dog took off running.<br/>"Where...?" Elisabeth asked, then she too saw something small and blue, on the steps of the house.<br/>"Pongo!" <br/>The blue thing Elisabeth had seen in the darkness was actually a blanket hiding the young man's body, which had now been allowed to slide to the ground.<br/>"You're back, Pongo!" <br/>The young girl could hear how happy he was to have found his furry friend.<br/>Elizabeth watched the scene from a distance, aware that the boy could not see her because of the darkness. She wondered if it would have been wise to turn around and head for... well, not home: she had no desire to see Nicole again...<br/>Suddenly, anger returned to the young woman's heart.<br/>An animal growl escaped from the girl's lips. <br/>"Who's there?" Giovanni shouted.<br/>Elisabeth hadn't realized she had made such a loud sound.<br/>"Are you a demon?! I'm armed, you know!" He screamed again, standing up.<br/>The dog, Pongo, escaped from Giovanni's caresses and ran toward the darkness.<br/>"Pongo! Don't go it can be dangerous!"<br/>Pongo stopped at the feet of the dampir, "come, Giovanni is a good human!" The dog said, wagging his tail.<br/>"I don't know if that's a good idea..." Elisabeth watched as the young man still called out to his dog, searching, futilely, with his eyes.<br/>"Please, Elisabeth, he's always so lonely...it would do him good to have another girl to talk to." The dog said, fidgeting on the grass wet with the night's dew.</p><p>Although the full moon was shining in the sky, Giovanni's eyes were unable to see clearly what, besides Pongo (who was just a white spot to him) was approaching.<br/>"Don't hurt my dog, or you'll have to deal with me!" Giovanni used the most threatening tone he could muster.<br/>"I don't want to hurt him, silly." Elisabeth stopped a few steps away from the young man, and he finally seemed to be able to see her.<br/>"Elisabeth...?"<br/>"He was lost." She pointed to the dog, "I found him in the forest and he..." she paused, realizing that what she was about to say would sound absurd.<br/>"You brought Pongo back to me...?" Giovanni looked very confused and awkward.<br/>"Yeah, well I couldn't just leave him in the forest, could I?" Elizabeth shrugged, beginning to feel the discomfort as well.<br/>"Thank you..." Giovanni didn't even think about it for a second, and he threw himself on Elisabeth, hugging her tightly.<br/>The dampir became stiff as stone, "what are you doing?" She asked, totally confused by the young man's gesture.<br/>"Sorry!" Giovanni jumped back as his face turned as red as Elisabeth's hair. "I wanted to thank you... I didn't mean to... I... I'm sorry, Elisabeth."<br/>"Okay." Elisabeth had also become red: it was the first time anyone had ever hugged her, other than her family.<br/>"Um..." Giovanni cleared his throat, "I'm sorry, do you want to come in? It's awfully cold this evening..."<br/>"I think the snow won't be long in coming." She said, avoiding explaining to the young man that she felt no discomfort from the chill of the night. "By the way, what were you doing sitting there in the cold?"<br/>"I..." Giovanni bent down to pick up the blanket he had dropped when Pongo had returned, "I...I was waiting for Pongo."<br/>"I get it, but you're going to get sick...look at you, you're all wet and cold." Elizabeth smiled, thinking he looked like a wet chick.<br/>"Well, you're going to be cold too, aren't you? Don't make me look like a sissy!" He reiterated, stung to the core by his little male pride.<br/>"I think I'd better go now, it's the middle of the night..." Elizabeth stepped back a few paces.<br/>"But... but I can't let you go into the woods alone! It's dangerous! If you really want to go, let me have time to get my boots and rifle so I can accompany you and protect you." His eyes shone with fear, but also with pride. <br/>Elisabeth couldn't hold back a laugh, "you protecting me?"<br/>"What's so funny?!" He shouted, his pride hurt once again, "I know I'm as skinny as an ice cream stick, what do you think? But I'm strong, and I can shoot!"<br/>"Sorry." Elisabeth regretted making fun of the young man: he was so nice to her.<br/>"And I'm taller than you, by the way." He added, crossing his arms over his chest.<br/>Elisabeth smiled, "I bet I'm taller."<br/>"I don't think so." Giovanni walked over to Elisabeth, placed his hand on the top of her head, and, holding it horizontally, he measured their heights.<br/>"See? At least two inches." Giovanni smiled as if he had just won a lifetime supply of pizza.<br/>"Alright, you were right..." Elizabeth crossed her arms over her chest.<br/>Giovanni hissed, "how touchy you are!"<br/>"Look who's talking!" She reiterated.<br/>The two looked at each other in silence for a few minutes, as if they were rivals ready to fight, but instead they both burst out laughing like children.<br/>"...I'm sorry for what I said earlier." Elizabeth said, wiping away the tears that had sprung up between her lashes from laughing.<br/>"What...what are you talking about?" Giovanni was still giggling.<br/>"Earlier, on the hill... you know..."<br/>"Oh..." the young man's face became serious again, "it's okay. It just bothered me to hear you call my father an idiot..."<br/>"I'm not a demon though... not a bad one, at least." Over the years, Elizabeth had never asked herself the question, 'what am I', better said, she obviously knew she was a dampir, consequently not a human being. But the term 'demon' had always had negative connotations, and was only used to refer to bad guys.<br/>"I wasn't entirely sure there were... um... demons that weren't bad guys." The young man reasoned over the words for a few more seconds, "but you're here, and you're my friend, right?"<br/>"Friend..." Elizabeth savored the taste of that word, it had a sweet taste....<br/>"And when my father sees you, I think he'll think the same as me." The young man continued to reason, "I mean, we only got here a few days ago and he's already met demons... so it'll be easy for him to notice the difference between you and them, don't you think?"<br/>"Maybe I don't feel like finding out yet..." Elizabeth replied, listening to her instincts.<br/>"You mean we have a secret?" It wasn't clear what was in the boy's tone.<br/>"Something like that..." Elisabeth thought that even for her it would be better if her mothers, especially Nicole, didn't know about Giovanni.<br/>"But that's wonderful!" He shouted.<br/>Pongo, who had been crouched on the porch up to that point, jumped up on his paws, infected by his human's cheerfulness.<br/>"Huh?" Elizabeth didn't understand the young man's enthusiasm.<br/>"I never had a secret!" He replied, continuing to fidget on par with Pongo.<br/>"Not even a little one?" It was perhaps bewilderment, that thing in the dampir's voice.<br/>"No... you know, I'm always alone." He replied. "Wait, not telling one's father about getting a bad grade in school, does that count as a secret?" <br/>"I don't know... I guess not." Of course, Elizabeth had never been to a real school, so her point of reference was the school events she had seen in the movies.<br/>"Oh...well, that makes ours even more important, doesn't it?"<br/>Elisabeth reasoned for a few seconds, "I think you're right." She said finally, giving the young man a complicit smile.<br/>"Maybe we should come up with a secret handshake or something...you know, something just ours!"<br/>"A what...?" <br/>"Maybe I said something silly..." Giovanni blushed again.<br/>"Maybe you did." Elizabeth laughed.<br/>Giovanni laughed too, cheerfully.<br/>"Listen, I don't think our secret will stay safe for long: with all this noise, your father will end up waking up and seeing us." She said, pointing to the house.<br/>Giovanni shook his head, "impossible. He's gone hunting: two children are missing."<br/>"Oh, then my mothers and grandmother are probably out too..." Elisabeth said, spontaneously.<br/>Giovanni's expression was hard to decipher, "your mothers? Two of them? And you grandmother hunts?"<br/>Elisabeth bit her tongue, realizing she had entered a dangerous subject: she still didn't know how far she could trust him.<br/>"You were adopted...I'm sorry. What happened to your family, if you want to tell me."<br/>"No I'm not adopted!" Elizabeth raised her voice.<br/>"Ah... um... then I don't understand." The young man admitted, "Doesn't it take a man and a woman to make a baby?"<br/>"What the hell do I know..." she reposed, a little disturbed by his words.<br/>"I don't even have a mom..." suddenly, Giovanni's voice sounded tired and defeated.<br/>"I'm sorry... but hey, I don't have a dad. It's a similar thing, right?" asked Elizabeth.<br/>"Something tells me it's not quite the same..." he replied, but he also understood that she was trying to make him feel better, so he said, "thank you."<br/>"May I ask what happened to your mother?" <br/>Giovanni stiffened, "she left us."<br/>"Oh..." Elizabeth had no idea how to continue. <br/>"It was a long time ago, I was very small...I remember almost nothing about her except for her golden blonde hair and light blue eyes."<br/>"She must have been very beautiful..." <br/>"I don't know..." Giovanni said, "All I know is that she was a demon and that she abandoned us..."<br/>"What?!" Elizabeth couldn't believe her ears, "a demon? What kind of demon? But you... but you look human to me... how is that possible?"<br/>"Of course I'm human! Why wouldn't I be?" <br/>"I don't know... because your mother wasn't." Elizabeth replied.<br/>"So what?"<br/>"I don't know...I don't know how it works..." she admitted.<br/>"My father is human too, if you ask me." The boy added.<br/>"You may have gotten all the genetics from your father... if you want I can ask my grandmother about it, she'll definitely know what to answer."<br/>"Would you really?" He asked, as his face returned a little more serene.<br/>"Sure!" She smiled at him.<br/>"Wait a minute..." the young man watched her purple eyes reflect the moon, "so at least one of your mothers isn't human..."<br/>Elizabeth hesitated, perhaps it was right to reciprocate the young man's honesty, or perhaps, it would instead be something she would later bitterly regret.<br/>"Aren't you going to answer me?" Giovanni looked worried, perhaps that he had offended her.<br/>"I'm thinking." She replied.<br/>"You don't remember if they're human or not?"<br/>"Of course I remember! I'm thinking if I can trust you..."<br/>Giovanni took on an offended expression, " whatever..." he said, crossing his arms over his chest.<br/>"You wouldn't betray me, would you? I mean, we're... friends...?"<br/>"Cross over my heart!" He replied, smiling back.<br/>"What...?"<br/>"I don't know... I've heard it said when someone makes a promise to another."<br/>"Okay...um, promise, then?"<br/>"Yes, friend! I will never, ever cheat on you!" He held out his hand to her, acting like a little adult.<br/>Elisabeth squeezed Giovanni's hand, "friends don't betray."<br/>He nodded, smiling at her.<br/>"So...I've decided to trust you."<br/>"Very well, but do you mind if we go inside the house? I'm really freezing to death..."<br/>"What if your father comes back?" Elizabeth didn't look convinced.<br/>He shook his head, "he always comes back an hour after sunrise."<br/>"Why?" She asked.<br/>He shrugged, "he's always done that..."<br/>"Okay, then, if you're sure, I'll come in."<br/>He smiled happily at her, then called the dog, "come on, Pongo."</p><p>Giovanni opened the large dark wooden door.<br/>Elizabeth was about to cross the threshold, but an invisible wall prevented her from entering.<br/>"Why don't you come in?" He asked, looking at her worriedly.<br/>"I can't..." Elisabeth was really confused.<br/>"Oh, I see... you changed your mind..." how much disappointment in his tone.<br/>"No, I physically can't! There's like a wall..."<br/>"I'm confused...I thought only vampires needed permission to enter a house...you can't be a vampire...I've seen you in the sunlight. Besides, they're all extinct."<br/>"In fact I'm not...I'm a dampir..." she replied.<br/>"A what?"<br/>"If you find a way to let me in, I'll explain it to you, I promise."<br/>Giovanni nodded, "I think that will be fine..." he cleared his throat, "Elisabeth, you have permission to enter this house." He said, in a solemn tone.<br/>The two waited, but nothing happened.<br/>"Do you think it worked?" He asked.<br/>"I haven't seen any changes...I think the only way to find out is to try and get in." <br/>Giovanni nodded, "try it."<br/>Elizabeth licked her lips and put her hands in front of her, but they met with no resistance.<br/>"We did it!" They said, in unison. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Oh, I almost forgot.<br/>I'm well aware that in English, to refer to animals and things, usually, you use "it", so the fact that I use "he" in this case, is not a mistake, but a narrative choice :)</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. In the Clearing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It is my duty to warn that the following chapter contains violent descriptions that may disturb some people's sensibilities.<br/>Enjoy it :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
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  <strong>7</strong>
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<p>The trio of vampires appeared shrouded in a purple cloud.<br/>"I smell blood..." Nicole's purple eyes glowed in the night, despite the full moon being obscured by the forest trees.<br/>"Unfortunately, I smell it too." Morgana said. "It's human blood."<br/>Waverly licked her lips, "even I can smell it...we're close to finding something and I have a feeling it's not going to be pleasant."<br/>Nicole let Morgana go a few steps ahead of them.<br/>"Are you sure you'll be able to control your thirst? Did you drink your sack?" <br/>The young vampire nodded, "don't worry Nicole, I'm not a newbie."<br/>"I worry about you all the time." She replied. "It doesn't matter if you're the danger, I don't want you to have to live with the remorse of killing a human being."<br/>Waverly gave her a dull smile, saying nothing.<br/>Nicole watched her wife's face carefully, but finally increased her pace, catching up with Morgana.<br/>"It looks like the thing we're chasing is trying to throw us off...or rather, lead us to a specific spot in the forest."<br/>Morgana nodded, "I agree, Nicole. I just hope that at least one of those children survives long enough to..."<br/>"Do you think there's been a death yet?" Waverly wasn't in the habit of interrupting people, but what Morgana was saying shocked her.<br/>Morgana turned back to her, but this time there was no smile on her face, "I'm afraid so, maiden. The blood we smell in the air..."<br/>"I'll turn into a small forest animal: that way I can find out the demon's location without scaring it away." Nicole said, scratching an eyebrow.<br/>"Is that so you don't get it to kill its hostages? That is, if they're still alive..." Waverly nodded, "I'll take care of it."<br/>"Are you sure?" Nicole studied her wife's face carefully, trying to understand her emotions.<br/>"My transfiguration skills have improved greatly. Also, I am the youngest vampire: my power is lower than yours, so..."<br/>"So, it is harder to sense your presence." Morgana smiled at her: she was always happy to listen to reasoning based on logic and planning.<br/>"All right, honey, but be careful." Nicole placed a finger under Waverly's chin, causing her to lift her head, "don't take any unnecessary risks. As soon as you spot the demon come back here." She concluded, looking into her eyes.<br/>Waverly lingered on Nicole's purple eyes for a few seconds, "every time the same story, Nicole: I wasn't born yesterday."<br/>"Well..." Nicole smiled, trying to ease the tension.<br/>But Waverly was in no mood to laugh, "we're wasting time."<br/>The younger vampire took a few steps away. Her female body was shrouded in a purple cloud, and out of that mist emerged a small white squirrel.<br/>Morgana clapped softly so as not to make noise, "oh, you're so cute! If it weren't for the color of your fur, I wouldn't know you from a real squirrel."<br/>Nicole scratched her eyebrow again, watching the little squirrel run up to a tree and climb into it, then disappear into the night.<br/>"Well, she'll have to work on it a little more, but I'd say she's improved a lot, wouldn't you say, Mother? Remember the time when, wanting to turn into a dog, she became a cat with a rabbit's tail?"<br/>"Don't be so superior, Nicole. Remember how long it took you to learn how to transform? For thirty years, the only results you could get were sprouting fur or fox ears." Morgana brought her gloved hand to her mouth to hide an amused smile. "Waverly is very good, I'm so proud of her..."<br/>"I am too, mother, I'm really proud of her." Nicole smiled, looking at the spot where the white squirrel had disappeared. "I wonder what abilities she'll have, and how soon we'll find out..."<br/>"Time will give us the answer. In regards to Elizabeth..."<br/>Nicole raised her hands, "I went too far with her. I knew she was the keeper of a huge power, but I should have first taught her how to control it and not let her unleash it unchecked...I didn't do it right."<br/>"That wasn't what I meant," Morgana replied, "but it's true: you've gone too far, Nicole. You have a tendency to give in to anger and impulse: it's as if a part of you is always angry at something, maiden."<br/>Nicole touched her chest, still and silent, "for as long as the Count has been a part of me...I don't know, Mother, sometimes it's like he's still there and fighting to get out...no, to take control of my body."<br/>"And that scares you." Morgana nodded, "but your soul has won, Nicole, it's just a feeling, in time it will fade."<br/>"I'm afraid of hurting my daughter...I'm afraid of not being a good parent to her."<br/>"I've never been a mother, Nicole, the closest relationship I've ever had was with you, I'm in no position to judge you. But, Nicole, I can see it with how much love you look at and protect that creature, that magnificent little dampir."<br/>"I was angry at her..." Nicole couldn't finish her sentence, a dark, bitter-tasting pain had tightened around her still heart.<br/>"We can talk about it when you feel ready." Morgana smiled at Nicole, caressing her cheek.<br/>"It's just that...that sometimes...sometimes she reminds me of Kasandra..." Nicole's body stiffened, "she's aware that she's powerful and.... you heard her at dinner too..."<br/>"Elizabeth is a teenager now, it's normal for her to be a bit rebellious and with strange fantasies in her mind."<br/>"Sometimes I wonder if..." but Nicole froze, "mother, do you feel it too?"<br/>"Waverly's energy has suddenly become immense and threatening!"<br/>Morgana and Nicole disappeared in a purple cloud.</p>
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<p><br/>The squirrel, Waverly, was jumping from tree to tree. <br/>It wasn't easy to master the little body she now possessed, but the end result wasn't so bad and she was able to move forward quickly.<br/>Meter after meter, the smell of blood grew more intense: she had to hurry.<br/>The small rodent suddenly stopped on the branch of a young black hornbeam: she had found the demon.<br/>-My God...- Waverly thought.<br/>The young vampire was not prepared for what her eyes were showing her.<br/>In the center of the clearing, illuminated by the full moon as if it were a white sun, stood the demon.<br/>It was an enormous being.<br/>Its body was entirely covered in gray-brown fur, it had a pair of small, rounded ears on the top of its head, and a giant, rat-like naked tail. The thing was for all intents and purposes, a giant rat.<br/>The smell of blood had become almost unbearable, and when the huge being moved, Waverly understood why....<br/>Between the rat's paws, there was what was left of a small human body. The being was nibbling at it like it was a peanut.<br/>But as if that vision wasn't horrifying enough, Waverly saw that, sitting with her back against a rock, there was also a little girl watching the scene. That little girl was really small and her small face was a mask of terror and horror, this hurt Waverly, hurt her maternal instincts.<br/>Waverly felt a huge anger growing in her chest that, mixed with the penetrating smell of human blood, was driving her out of her mind.<br/> The squirrel jumped down from the tree, but what landed on the dew-soaked grass were not the feet of an animal, but Waverly's feet. <br/>"Damn you!" She growled as her eyes glowed an unnatural, menacing purple.<br/>The demon turned its furry head toward the vampire, aiming its beady eyes as black as pools of oil at her.<br/>Waverly's hand, which was equipped with long, sharp nails, was about to strike the demon's hairy belly. But the demon, with an agility that surprised Waverly, jumped up, landing several feet from the vampire.<br/>Between its front paws, the demon-rat still clutched the remains of one of the two children.<br/>"What's wrong with you? I almost died of fright!" <br/>The vampire hadn't expected to hear a thin, nasal voice coming from the mouse. But she immediately overcame her surprise and went on the attack again, "die!"<br/>The demonic mouse had no intention of letting itself get hit, and once again showing off its uncommon agility, it carried itself out of Waverly's reach once more.<br/>"Why don't you mind your own business and let me finish my dinner?" The rat asked, looking at Waverly as if she were nothing more than a rude guest.<br/>"Dinner?!" Waverly was furious. "That was a little boy!" She growled as her eyes became, if possible, even more purple.<br/>"And what are you? You look human, but you're not..." the rat released its grip on the mangled remains of its victim and began rubbing its snout and whiskers with its paws, perhaps to wipe away the blood. "Look, if you want, I'll leave you the other human: I'm full. But maybe it's better if we ask my companions first, you know... hey! Where did you disappear to?!" The demon's black eyes moved frantically as it searched for the girl who, until a second before, was only a few feet away from it.<br/>"Behind you!" Waverly's hand and her claws, finally struck the demon's back drawing four deep scarlet furrows in the gray fur.<br/>The scream that burst from the demon was something heartbreaking.<br/>Blood gushed profusely from the wound, but the demon-rat once again managed to get away from the vampire.<br/>"You cannot escape me! You're mine now!" Waverly's lips were bent upward, that smile had something tremendously wrong and sick about it.<br/>Finally realizing that the strange being that didn't look human wanted to kill it, the demon made a powerful, high-pitched sound: a call.<br/>"Waverly!" Nicole had appeared at the young woman's side.<br/>"Stay back, Nicole, its mine." She turned to her wife, "there's a little girl over there, you take care of her."<br/>"Morgana is with her."Nicole replied, then she turned back to the demon, "what the hell is that thing?"<br/>"My prey!" Waverly restarted the attack.<br/>Nicole scratched an eyebrow, "sexy..." she commented. <br/>She smiled as she watched Waverly hit the demon on the muzzle with a slash worthy of a gladiator.<br/>Nicole would have gladly stood there motionless watching her young, beautiful and immortal wife tear the rodent apart, but her senses told her that others were coming.<br/>"Nicole!" Morgana shouted, a few dozen feet away.<br/>"I know, they're coming! Protect the little one, I'll take care of them..." </p>
<p>In a few moments, distant noises grew closer and closer, and all around the clearing, dozens of little black eyes appeared, shining under the moon.<br/>"Let's dance!" Nicole rolled up the sleeves of her black shirt above the elbows and, licking her lips, she prepared for a massacre.<br/>Waverly finally managed to knock the huge rat to the ground, "you bastard..." she growled, as her own hand penetrated the demon's neck and ripped out the entire windpipe.<br/>The young vampire reached out to her wife, "I thought that one was giant... but these..."<br/>"Don't be afraid baby, I got you." Nicole smiled in a way not too dissimilar to the way Waverly had, only minutes before.<br/>"Not today, Nicole, I feel like a beast...I want to see their blood flood the clearing and dye it red..."<br/>"Waves... so you turn me on..." a lustful growl escaped the redheaded woman's lips.<br/>"May I remind you, Nicole, that a little boy has just been nibbled by a six-foot mouse, and what must be his sister saw the whole thing."<br/>Nicole was about to say something about the fact that she already had humans she cared about, and consequently everyone else was just work, but of course, she kept those thoughts to herself.</p>
<p>"What are they doing, why aren't they attacking?" Waverly asked, after a couple of minutes.<br/>At that moment, a rat over seven feet tall, advanced into the clearing approaching what was left of the demon that Waverly had killed.<br/>"Billy..." the demon's paw that had just arrived, touched the corpse that lay on the grass, "my little Billy!" It shouted.<br/>"I wouldn't say little..." Nicole said, scratching her eyebrow with a fingernail.<br/>The black eyes of the demon in the center of the clearing, settled on the two women, "who killed my baby!?"<br/>"My beautiful wife, demon." Nicole advanced toward the being. "She tore that filthy rat apart!"<br/>"Nicole...wait..." Waverly felt nauseous: she hadn't considered that the thing might have a mother, "don't be cruel..."<br/>"You will die for this!" Shouted the demon, and for a moment, it seemed as if it's eyes were clouded with tears.<br/>"No..." Nicole smiled, "I don't think so." Then she disappeared to reappear right in front of the demon.<br/>"You're dead, see?" Nicole lifted the still-moving mouse's heart in her hand: only Waverly had been able to see the lightning-fast movement with which Nicole had ripped it from its chest.<br/>The clearing filled with wails.<br/>"Stop! Please, vampire stop your hand!" A mouse little bigger than a capybara, came running into the clearing, "we don't want any more dead!"<br/>"I'm just getting started..." Nicole dropped the demon's still-smoking heart on the lawn, she was about to throw herself at the mouse, but strong arms belted her sides, holding her back.<br/>"What are you doing, Waverly?" Nicole asked, realizing that she was the one who had stopped her.<br/>"That's enough, Nicole...I don't know what we're doing anymore." She said, letting go of Nicole's hips to stand in front of her.<br/>"Our job, Waverly: killing demons." Nicole replied.<br/>"Wait, nobody do anything." Morgana appeared shrouded in a purple cloud, in her arms was the little girl Waverly had seen earlier, looking unconscious.<br/>"Mother...?" Nicole turned to her questioningly.<br/>"Control the demon in your heart, maiden. Whenever possible, the best thing is to speak." Morgana replied.<br/>"We're just passing through here, we want to leave, to the North." The little demon turned to Morgana, realizing it was the wise thing to do.<br/>The raven-haired woman smiled at the creature, "I wouldn't do anything to stop you, but you see, little friend, we can't allow any more humans to be killed." Her tone was devoid of hate, but rather kind and friendly.<br/>"It was an accident... Billy...he was mentally retarded.... he got out of our control... we don't kill humans..." the poor creature stammered: it had realized that, despite the kind tone, the vampire in front of it emanated a not insignificant power... not to mention the one with red hair.<br/>"I see..." Morgana nodded understandingly, then she turned to Waverly, "Maiden, take this child, please."<br/>"Of course..." Waverly took the little girl's small body.<br/>"Do you want to read its mind, its memories?" Nicole asked.<br/>"That is correct, if this creature is telling the truth, no one else will die in this clearing, not tonight." Then she looked at the demon, "I'm sorry, but this is the best offer I can make."<br/>"I accept!" It said without hesitation.<br/>"Very well." Morgana's eyes turned purple as her hands, wrapped in black lace gloves, rested on the demon's little head.</p>
<p>In the seconds that passed, it seemed as if the entire clearing was holding its breath.<br/>"This sweet creature spoke the truth." Morgana said, as her eyes returned to emerald green, leaving only a few fragments of the violent purple. "It and its companions feed on animals, or humans dug up from graveyards."<br/>"Thank you, vampire woman, that was kind of you," the rodent said.<br/>Morgana smiled, "I always try to be, but this was a matter of justice."<br/>Waverly stepped forward, "I will not apologize for killing your companion: it killed a child...but I am sorry."<br/>The little demon looked at her and nodded, "I get it..."<br/>"You may go." Nicole's voice was almost a growl: her bloodlust had not been satisfied.<br/>Neither the capybara nor any of its companions needed to be told a second time: those were beings too powerful for a pack of mouse demons. <br/>There was a clatter of paws, and soon after, silence returned to the clearing.<br/>"Let's get this poor creature home." Morgana said, caressing the hair of the child resting in Waverly's arms.</p>
<p>The three vampires were about to vanish in a purple cloud, but sounds of battle: screaming and thudding, forced them to stop.<br/>"What the hell is going on? I don't sense the presence of any demons other than those rats, yet I'm sure something is killing them!" Waverly said.<br/>Nicole and Morgana exchanged a look.<br/>"Do you think we should intervene, mother?" Nicole asked.<br/>"Yes, it doesn't matter if they are demons: they are not dangerous to humans, they have as much right as anyone to live."<br/>"Mother, you take the child back to her parents. I'm sure there are no right words to communicate the death of one of their children, but you are surely the most delicate and right one for this task." Nicole said, then added, "Waverly and I would go to the rescue of those rats, hoping there is something to kill."<br/>"I agree maiden." Morgana took the little girl in her arms, "be careful you two: I can't pinpoint the source of the threat."<br/>"We'll protect each other, as always." Finally, Waverly smiled at Nicole.</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Shadows From the Past - Part 1</h2></a>
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<p>"Sit there on the couch. I'll go get two towels to dry the hair." <br/>"Thank you." Elisabeth, looked around: the room was not large, and the vast amount of boxes and weapons, mixed with the dark tones of the wood made the atmosphere almost suffocating. But on the whole, seen through a girl's eyes, it wasn't so bad.<br/>An oil lantern was lit on the table near the sofa, but that wasn't the only source of light: there were also some candles to illuminate the small place.<br/>The girl moved a large box full of books and sat down on the sofa.<br/>Giovanni returned a few moments later.<br/>"Here." He handed her a towel, his was already on his head, "the frost wets like rain."<br/>"Don't you have electricity?" Elizabeth asked, looking at the candles.<br/>Giovanni was rubbing his black hair with the dry cloth, "no, my father is still working on it. We've only been here a short while, so excuse the mess..." his gaze, as the girl's had only moments before, also wandered around the room.<br/>"It's nice here: it's a cozy, family environment." She replied, simply resting the towel on her head.<br/>"Thanks..." he said, smiling at her, about to add something, but a sneeze caught him off guard.<br/>"Salute... you caught a cold, huh?" <br/>Giovanni sniffed, "thank you... how nice, you said it in Italian!"<br/>"I told you I could speak it." <br/>"That's right." Giovanni nodded, then he added, "how about a hot, nay, boiling hot chocolate?"<br/>"Sounds great to me." She replied.<br/>"But the dumbiri... dambur...? um...?"<br/>"Damphirs. I'm a dampir." She corrected.<br/>"I get it. Damphirs can drink chocolate?"<br/>"Sure, I can eat anything you eat." She replied.<br/>"Great! Then I'll make it right away."</p>
<p>"So..." Giovanni began when they were both on the couch with the hot chocolate in front of them, "what exactly is a dhamphir?"<br/>Elisabeth didn't answer right away, she took her time watching the steam rise from her cup: she was still a little afraid to reveal her origins to the young man.<br/>Not to mention, revealing what she really was would proclaim that vampires were not extinct.<br/>Elizabeth licked her lips and looked the boy in the eye, "What I'm about to tell you could cause my family many, many problems. So please don't make me regret it."<br/>"I understand you're scared, I can hear it in your tone. But I promised you that this will be our secret, no matter what you say." He smiled at her, it was suddenly like talking to an adult.<br/>"No matter what I say..." Elizabeth nodded.<br/>"That's right." <br/>"I'm a creature..." Elisabeth cleared her throat, "I was born from the union between a human and..." but she stopped again.<br/>"Don't worry: my mother wasn't human either."<br/>"Yeah... Well... uh, boy, that's tough... I was born from the union of a human and a.... vampire..."<br/>A heavy silence fell in the room, disturbed only by the flame slowly devouring the wick of the candles producing something like a crackling.<br/>Giovanni began to laugh, "of course!"<br/>"I'm not laughing." Elizabeth said, her tone was harsh perhaps hurt.<br/>The smile died on the young man's face, "are you serious?"<br/>Elisabeth lowered her head and nodded.<br/>"Oh...wow...okay, it's okay..."<br/>More seconds, maybe minutes of silence passed.<br/>"What are you going to do now?" Elizabeth asked.<br/>Giovanni hesitated a few more seconds, "I'm going to keep asking you questions, if you don't mind..."<br/>"And you won't tell anyone?"<br/>He shook his head, but before answering he waited for her to raise her eyes and look at him, "I promised, remember?"<br/>"Are you afraid?"<br/>Giovanni smiled, but that wasn't an amused smile, "a little..." he admitted.<br/>"Of me?" Elizabeth struggled to maintain contact with his eyes.<br/>"No... not of you..."<br/>"About what then?"<br/>"Well... I thought vampires had been extinct for centuries now. It's a bit shocking to hear."<br/>"I see..."<br/>"But... um, how many vampires are there?"<br/>"Three, only three. My mothers and my grandmother." She replied.<br/>"Okay...hey, but didn't you say that one of your mothers was human?"<br/>"She was... then my other mother turned her..." it was a little painful for Elizabeth to think about.<br/>"Oh... I see... how does one become a vampire?"<br/>"Why do you ask?" Elisabeth could feel the discomfort grow in her stomach, she was afraid that he...<br/>"Because I'm curious..." he replied, smiling at her.<br/>"You're not asking because you want to be one too, are you?"<br/>"No! I could never give up sunshine, chocolate... hey...!" He stood up as if he had just gotten a shock, "vampires eat nothing but human blood!"<br/>"Wait, I know what you're thinking!" Elizabeth stood up too, "that's not it, we don't hurt humans, we protect them."<br/>"You swear...?" he had instinctively started to back away.<br/>"I swear." Elizabeth raised her hands, "my mothers and grandmother made an oath, I will too when I become a demon hunter."<br/>The young man began to relax, "what kind of oath?"<br/>"Never kill a human being."<br/>"Never?"<br/>"Never."<br/>"Okay... now I feel much better..." he went back to sitting on the couch, "what do they eat, then?"<br/>"Human blood." She sat back down as well, "they get it at the hospital." She added, before he got scared again.<br/>"Okay, that sounds like a good solution..." <br/>"It was an idea from one of my mothers, the one who gave birth to me when she was still human." Elizabeth said.<br/>"So she fell in love with a vampire? But the thing I don't understand is how they got you."<br/>"I told you: I don't know how it works and I'm not sure I want to know... it's embarrassing..."<br/>"Yeah..." Giovanni cleared his throat; he was blushing. "Tell me, when your mother found out she was a vampire, how did she react?"<br/>"My mothers don't like to talk about the past, but my grandmother sometimes tells me something." Elizabeth paused to reason for the first time about something....<br/>"What's going on?"<br/>"My mothers met because one of them wanted to kill the other's sister, my Aunt Wynonna..."<br/>"Wow...!" Giovanni wasn't sure how to respond, "why did she want to kill her?"<br/>"Yeah... I have no idea... I just know she wanted revenge, but I could never get her to tell me the details." Elizabeth sighed.<br/>"Wait, you mentioned Wynonna's name earlier too, are you talking about that Wynonna by any chance?"<br/>"I don't know any others..." Elisabeth was a little confused. "Why do you know my aunt, if it's my aunt we're talking about?"<br/>"Well, Wynonna Earp was the last demon hunter in America, until the other day when my father came here too... she's famous..."<br/>"Wynonna Earp is my aunt, yes!" Elizabeth smiled.<br/>"Wait a minute...so you know about the legend too?"<br/>Elisabeth frowned, "what are you talking about?"<br/>"Years ago, just before my mother left us, I heard her and my father talking about time travel, about a vampire who had managed to become a god, and I'm pretty sure Wynonna Earp's name came up in all of that. Since she's your aunt, maybe you know something about it, I had been very intrigued by the story, but my father always said he didn't know what I was talking about..."<br/>Elizabeth shivered, "the god you speak of is my mother..."<br/>"Your mother is the god who destroyed the earth and then traveled through time?!" Giovanni shrieked.<br/>"What? I don't understand the time travel thing, and more importantly...destroying the earth? I don't understand you!"<br/>"If you know what god I'm talking about, how can you not know everything else?" Giovanni was at least as confused as Elizabeth.<br/>"Well, I know that my mother had managed to become a god, gaining enormous power, but she gave it up, she toned back to being a vampire. The most powerful of vampires, but nothing special, I'm already stronger than her..."<br/>"Let me get this straight... one thing then is pretty sure: it's not a legend."<br/>"I don't know..." Elisabeth admitted, "my grandmother isn't in the habit of lying... but I really don't know anything about time travel or anything..."<br/>"Then maybe my mother wasn't crazy..." Giovanni said, taking a sip of the now lukewarm, almost cold chocolate.<br/>"What are you talking about?"<br/>"When my mother left us, she didn't take anything of hers away with her. My father kept all of her things in a big box.... A few years ago I found my mother's diary, I know you're not supposed to do that... but I was too curious..."<br/>"Did you read it?" <br/>Giovanni nodded, "there I found what I had heard her talking about. But I immediately stopped reading because I felt uncomfortable, although I was very curious.  But now that you're here... I don't, maybe together we could discover something interesting. I mean, aren't you curious about your mother?"<br/>"I am... I would like to find out..." but Elisabeth preferred to conclude the thought in her head: 'the secret to becoming an invincible god...'<br/>"I'll go get the diary, so together..."<br/>"No." Elisabeth stood up, "someone is coming."<br/>"That's impossible, it's still the middle of the night and my father won't be back for hours..."<br/>"Trust me..." she said, her tone confident and her eyes full of fear.<br/>Giovanni was about to reply, but Pongo, who was sleeping peacefully in his bed made of old blankets, raised his head and began to wag his tail, "the owner is coming back, Elisabeth, go."<br/>"I knew it! Thank you, Pongo!"<br/>Giovanni scratched his head, "what are you thanking him for?"<br/>"There's no time! Do you have a back door?" She asked, looking around.<br/>"No...come with me!" He grabbed her arm and together they ran up the stairs, "I'll hide you in my room!"<br/>At that moment, the front door opened.</p>
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<p>Only a few feet and the trees would stop hiding the cause of all that noise.<br/>"Whatever it is, it's exterminating those rats. The air is full of blood molecules." Nicole said, preparing to fight.<br/>Those rodents could never have represented a real threat to vampires, even in a million years, but they were still strong demons and smart enough to have never been discovered in all those years - Nicole had never seen that kind of demon. So, the thing that was killing them was not to be underestimated.<br/>"Let's move!" Waverly increased the speed to her limit: they had decided not to resort to dematerialization in order not to risk appearing right in front of the enemy, since they couldn't figure out what it was.</p>
<p>"Stop!" Waverly ordered, stopping a few feet away from a figure dressed entirely in white.<br/>"What the fuck...!" Nicole couldn't believe her eyes: standing in front of them was a really, really tall man, maybe even taller than Nicole, who had just cut off the head of one of the giant rats with a single slash of his sword. "A human!?"<br/>The man slowly turned towards them, on his unshaven face was a truly cruel and sick smile, sadistic perhaps.<br/>But it wasn't that that forced the two vampires to back away a few steps, but rather the huge silver cross the man had on his chest, hanging from an equally imposing chain.<br/>"Who dares interrupt me?" The man's voice was heavy and low, it reminded Nicole of that of an Italian singer-songwriter: Fabrizio De André, but unlike the singer, there was no softness, no humanity in his voice.<br/>"What the hell were you thinking?!" Waverly's voice was a high-pitched growl, "why the hell are you killing them!?"<br/>"And what might you be, demon?" He asked, instead of answering, wiping the large sword on the fur of his latest victim.<br/>"Listen, Berserk wannabe." Nicole scratched an eyebrow, "just walk away and I'll pretend I didn't see that. Call my wife a demon one more time and I'll maim you."<br/>The man laughed loudly, "a couple of lesbian demons who know the work of master Kentaro Miura...I die!" He continued to laugh, but it wasn't a pleasant laugh.<br/>"Yeah, hilarious, I agree." Nicole cleared her throat, "now, I hate to repeat myself, but if you don't disappear in something like three seconds, I can assure you that the rest of your existence will be spent in a wheelchair, drooling all over yourself."<br/>The man's movement was something of a lightning bolt, but that didn't stop Nicole from blocking the sword with only two fingers a breath away from her head. The thing that made her jump backwards instead was again the presence of the cross.<br/>"Impressive..." the man hissed, perhaps not realizing the effect his adornment was causing the two women.<br/>"Yeah, I'm really awesome, I know..." Nicole smiled, trying hard to hide the pain that the silver object had caused her by just being near it.<br/>At that moment, one of the few surviving demon-rats, perhaps wanting to take advantage of the intervention of the two vampires and the killer's distraction, took an impressive jump behind the man.<br/>The man dressed in white smiled: he knew.<br/>A fraction of a second before the huge sword could pierce the demon-rat's chest, Waverly protected it with her body. The two landed safely behind Nicole.<br/>"Good job, love." Nicole turned to Waverly and smiled at her as only she can smile.<br/>"I hate it when someone stops me from killing...when I'm so close..." the man shook his head dramatically and theatrically.<br/>"I know the feeling." Nicole said understandingly, turning to face him again.<br/>"Hey, now I feel like we're descending into ridiculousness..." Waverly advanced to stop at Nicole's side, "these poor mice are no threat to humans. Besides, we're demon hunters, there's no reason for us to fight."<br/>"What's your name, demon?" The man asked, suddenly intrigued.<br/>"What did I say about calling her a demon?" Nicole glared at him.<br/>"Waverly, Waverly Earp." She replied. "We're not enemies. You look like a hunter too, maybe the one the sheriff was talking about."<br/>"A new hunter?" Nicole scratched her eyebrow absentmindedly.<br/>The man laughed so hard his entire body began to shake, "Wynonna Earp's sister is a demon?!"<br/>"You know my sister?" Waverly was surprised.<br/>"Who doesn't know her? At least, in our circles." He replied, then removed his hat, also white, to reveal short silvery hair, "I am Pietro D'Angelo."<br/>"Guarda, guarda, un italiano a Purgatory. E dimmi un po', il tuo nome ti rappresenta?"*<br/>The man smiled, evidently pleased to hear his native language, "oh sì, sono duro come la pietra. Ma dimmi, tu chi sei?"**<br/>"Non penso che condividerò quest'informazione con te. La prossima volta, magari? "***<br/>"Hey! Not everyone here speaks good Italian, okay?" Waverly was slightly annoyed.<br/>"My wife still has a hard time fully understanding a conversation in Italian, but we'll work on it." Nicole said, looking at Waverly.<br/>"I understand." The man nodded, starting to speak English again, "well, now that the introductions have been made, except for the redhead here, I guess I can kill you."<br/>"What?" Nicole and Waverly said in chorus.<br/>"You said you knew my sister, what the hell is wrong with you now? I thought we were clear!"<br/>The man smiled, "tell me, how is knowing your sister's name supposed to stop me from killing you as demons?"<br/>"Wow..." Nicole advanced a step, "you're more insane than I thought..."<br/>"And you're dead." He replied, raising his sword.<br/>Nicole smiled in amusement, "well..."<br/>"We don't want to fight!" Waverly held up her hands, "stop before you get really hurt."<br/>The man laughed until tears came to his eyes, "me getting hurt? No, you two are going to die tonight under the blows of my blade."<br/>"I'm almost sorry to break him..." Nicole looked at Waverly, completely ignoring the man in white, "he is a funny guy after all."<br/>Nicole's eyes had remained brown until Pietro attempted another sword lunge, but it was again stopped without difficulty by Nicole's hand.<br/>"Purple eyes? I really can't tell what kind of demon you are..." he said, preparing to attack again.<br/>"Enough! We don't want to fight, why can't you understand that?" Waverly had no idea how to get out of that situation.<br/>"I'll play with him a little, then break him like a toy, call someone to take him to the hospital and we'll go home. What do you think, honey?" Nicole asked Waverly.<br/>"No, Nicole. I get that your urge to kill wasn't satisfied, but he's human." <br/>Nicole smiled, "I didn't say I'm going to kill him, I said I'm going to break him...there's no quote in our oath that forbids it, is there?"<br/>"Nicole, please..."<br/>"If we let him go like this, he's going to kill those three remaining rats, I don't care, in fact, if it were just for that I'd let him do it.  But I have a feeling this guy is going to get really annoying for us."<br/>Pietro cleared his throat, "listen, I love to watch the marriage squabbles, but I'm supposed to find two kids, so..." <br/>"Never mind: the male is dead, while the female has already been brought home." Nicole said, then turned back to Waverly, "I'll just make him harmless, what's wrong with that?"<br/>"What do you mean?!" He now looked enraged, "you ruined my first task in Purgatory?!"<br/>"Hey, will you shut up for a moment? I'm trying to convince my wife to let me maim you...just a little bit." She brought the thumb and forefinger of her left hand closer together, squinting slightly as she smiled.<br/>Pietro shouted in anger and went on the attack again, but this time aiming at Waverly: maybe he thought she didn't have the same skills as the red-haired demon.<br/>The sword, needless to say, suffered again the effect of being stopped by a hand, Waverly's this time.<br/>"You know, as long as you were attacking me I was okay with it, it amused me." Nicole's eyes glowed a intense purple, "but no one in the world can touch my Waverly!" Nicole went to attack.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
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<p>* Look look, an Italian in Purgatory. And tell me, does your name represent you?<br/>** Oh yes, I'm hard as stone. But tell me, who are you?<br/>*** I don't think I feel like sharing that information with you. Next time, maybe?</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Shadows From the Past - Part 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi guys, hope all of you are doing well.<br/>By now I don't even apologize for my long absences... I realized that's how it works....<br/>Speaking of the chapter you are about to read, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did while writing it.<br/>See you soon.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
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<p>Giovanni put a finger in front of his mouth, "stay still and don't make any noise..."<br/>Elisabeth nodded, lowering herself even more behind the young man's bed.<br/>"Little one, come to daddy!" Shouted a voice at the bottom of the stairs, "I know you're not asleep."<br/>Giovanni quickly moved his attention from the closed door to Elisabeth, "something's wrong..." he whispered.<br/>Elisabeth looked at him waiting for the young man to explain himself.<br/>"It's my father's voice, but he doesn't sound like that to me... maybe he's drunk..." <br/>"What do we do?" Elizabeth's voice was also low, barely a whisper.<br/>"Maybe it's better if-" the young man didn't finish his sentence, as the voice came again, louder this time: he was getting closer.<br/>"Here are two cups. Do we have a guest? Why don't you introduce me?"<br/>Giovanni scratched his bush of black hair, perhaps regretting not hiding the evidence of a second person.<br/>His dark brown, almost black eyes and her purple ones moved frantically, almost as if they were chasing thoughts that floated around the room.<br/>"Are you deaf?!" Thundered the voice. The man must have been halfway down the stairs.<br/>"It's time to get an idea. He can't find me here." <br/>Giovanni nodded, aware that the girl was right.<br/>But the seconds ticked by and the boy still hadn't spoken the words with the solution.<br/>Elizabeth looked around, realizing that she had to be the one to find a way out. "Alright. I'll jump out the window." She said, pointing to the panel of glass and wood behind her.<br/>"You'll break your leg...if not your neck." Giovanni's voice was still low, but it now had a high note, almost hysterical.<br/>"I'll be fine." She replied confidently. "I'll see you tomorrow morning on the hill, okay?"<br/>Giovanni nodded distractedly: he was very worried about what his new friend was going to do.<br/>Elisabeth slowly opened the window and, without any hesitation, she jumped down.<br/>Landing gracefully on her legs, the girl ran towards the trees.<br/>She had gone a few hundred meters when a terrified scream forced her to stop: it was Giovanni's voice.</p>
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<p> Nicole's hand and Pietro's face were inches apart. Everything suggested that the man would soon find himself without a head. Actually, what could have prevented it? He was very strong, but still a poor human being against a centuries-old, powerful and very pissed-off vampire.<br/>The law of probability had not taken into account one detail: Waverly.<br/>With a jump that was no less than Nicole's, the young vampire grabbed her wife by the hips, pinning her to within an inch of the white-clad hunter's eye.<br/>"Let me go, Waverly. I want to break him!" Nicole wiggled like a fury in the woman's arms, but she wasn't going to let her go, that was for sure.<br/>"Come to your senses, Nicole!" <br/>"There's nothing for me to reason about! I've decided to kill him!" <br/>Waverly would have surely added something if an attack from the man hadn't forced her to push Nicole away. The sword passed right between the two, between Waverly's chest and Nicole's back.<br/>In fact, there was no real reason why Waverly had done well to dodge the blow: the sword couldn't have inflicted any damage on them anyway.<br/>Finally free of her wife's grasp, Nicole took off again on the attack, "die!"<br/>This time, what deflected Nicole's leap was not two arms, but a single punch to the cheekbone, thrown by Waverly.<br/>Somehow, that strange gesture seemed to have frightened the whole forest, which immediately became silent. Even the wind seemed to have vanished, and now nothing moved the branches of the trees or the leaves lying on the ground.<br/>Pietro too had experienced a similar effect: he leaned the tip of his sword on the ground and his chin on the hilt. <br/>There was only one movement, that of the red-haired vampire getting to her feet.<br/>"You busted my tooth..." Nicole said, spitting black blood, "and dislocated my jaw." She added, putting the bone back in its socket with a snap that was not pleasant to hear.<br/>"Have you calmed down?" It was the only thing Waverly said, watching her wife clean her clothes from the dried leaves.<br/>"When you get mad... God...you turn me on, Waverly Earp!" Nicole exclaimed. "When did you get so strong?"<br/>But instead of answering, Waverly turned to Pietro, "go away, or I'll be the one who breaks your legs."<br/>The man scratched his chin under his hard, short beard, "that sounds fair. I realize I don't know how to kill you, so I'll retire for the night." He lifted his sword and laid it flat on his shoulder, "but I will find a way."<br/>"Good luck." Waverly raised her hand, "ciao, cacciatore."* <br/>"In the end I’ll like you." He said, turning his back on them and running into the forest.<br/>"That was fun." Nicole approached her wife, taking her by the hips.<br/>"Nicole..." Waverly didn't escape the woman's hands.<br/>"Admit it, it was."<br/>Finally, the young vampire smiled, "okay, it was a little bit... fun."<br/>Gratified by those words, Nicole leaned down to kiss Waverly's neck.<br/>"For a moment I thought you were actually going to kill him..."<br/>"Later..." Nicole's kisses became more ravenous, "later we'll talk about him..." another kiss, "and maybe even about your new power..."<br/>"I wonder if I could mentally communicate with others as well or..." a bite from Nicole forced her to interrupt her reasoning.<br/>"I want you..." whispered Nicole, still holding Waverly's cold skin between her teeth.<br/>"Take me, then." The woman pulled Nicole's body away from her own and ripped off her shirt.<br/>"You're a beast... I loved this shirt..." but Nicole, as always, smiled.<br/>"Stop complaining and fulfill your marital duties..." the Waverly's fingernail cut Nicole's black bra in half, exposing her white breasts to the night.<br/>Once naked and lying on the blanket of dead leaves, Nicole rested on Waverly's body.<br/>"The smell of blood and the pallor of your skin glowing in the moonlight... I think I'm in heaven, Waverly..."<br/>"Why are you torturing me? I need you..." moaned the other, shaken by shivers of desire.<br/>The penis had risen between Nicole's hips, and just as naturally it disappeared between Waverly's.</p>
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<p>Elisabeth didn't even think about it for a second, she immediately sprinted in the direction of the young man's screams and Pongo's furious barking.</p>
<p>She was almost in front of the front door when, without warning, it was broken down by Giovanni's body.<br/>The boy landed screaming on the lawn.<br/>"Giovanni!" She screamed, running to the young man's rescue.<br/>"Run, run! He's a demon!" Replied the young man.<br/>The moment Elisabeth had reached her friend, a huge figure had appeared on the doorstep, "double snack..." said the creature, licking its purple lips.<br/>Elisabeth had little time to think, she had to decide quickly whether to run or fight. <br/>Run? Never!<br/>What she had in front of her was a snake demon: a being with a body covered in hard gray and green scales... Hard as diamonds. Weak points: nostrils, inside of mouth, maybe eyes.<br/>"I'll take care of it!" Elizabeth stood up, ready to face the demon.<br/>"Are you out of your mind? Run!" Giovanni shouted, holding his right arm, which was probably broken.<br/>"You want me to start with you? Perfect." The demon said, advancing towards the girl.<br/>Elizabeth moved into a fighting stance, waiting for the demon's first move.<br/>"I beg your pardon?" A voice, from somewhere above, perhaps on the roof.<br/>The demon turned to the voice, turning his attention away from the girl, "who goes there? Show yourself!"<br/>An instant later, a beautiful woman dressed in red and black baroque-era clothing, landed lightly between the snake demon and the two youths.<br/>"Grandma!" Elizabeth exclaimed.<br/>Morgana turned briefly to her granddaughter, "It's okay. Protect the little human."<br/>"Am I the little human?" Giovanni asked, a little confused by the appellation he had gotten.<br/>"I can fight, Grandma!" <br/>"Not tonight, young maiden: your duty is to keep that creature safe."<br/>On any other occasion, Elizabeth would have protested, but not to Morgana, "All right, Grandmother." She gave up.<br/>"Is this going to take much longer? I'm hungry!"  The demon displayed a row of sharp teeth behind which waved a forked tongue.<br/>"I apologize, but eating my grandchild and her young friend doesn't seem like a good idea. May I propose, as an alternative, a pork or beef steak? I will gladly offer food to those who say 'I am hungry'."<br/>In response, the demon took a leap.<br/>"Chivalry is dead..." Morgana sighed sadly, grabbing the demon's arm on the fly and throwing him away.<br/>"You're amazing, Grandma!" Elizabeth exclaimed. She was barely able to see the raven-haired woman's lightning movement.<br/>"It's nothing. In truth, I hate to resort to violence, but it looks like that young man will leave me no choice." She replied, watching the demon rise up to attack again.<br/>The demon landed a punch to the jaw of the emerald-eyed woman, but aside from moving her black hair backwards from the force of the impact, he certainly didn't get the desired result.<br/>"What are you made of?!" The demon stepped back, massaging his bleeding knuckles.<br/>"Don't you know? Women aren't even supposed to touch with flower..." Morgana replied, adjusting her hair. "I'm asking you nicely for the last time, then I'll be forced to kill you, and believe me, I don't want to... can I offer you something to eat?"<br/>"Is she serious?" Giovanni asked. Until that moment, the young man had remained silent with his mouth open, observing the incredible confrontation.<br/>Elisabeth nodded without taking her eyes off her grandmother's back, "that's how she is: she doesn't like killing... sometimes I wonder if my mother is really her daughter..."<br/>"Maybe I was wrong to aim for the head..." the demon reasoned, "maybe your weak point is the heart."<br/>"You don't think you're going to ruin my dress, do you? It's an original! You don't know how much effort I went to in order to acquire it and preserve it through the centuries...!" Morgana took her face in her hands to emphasize her words.<br/>The snake demon wasted no time, launching himself towards the woman.<br/>The snake demon's claws were stopped within millimeters of the black fabric. <br/>"By a whisker..." Morgana sighed relieved, seeing that the dress had not been cut.<br/>While the vampire's long, sharp nails had penetrated the demon's chest, sticking into the heart.<br/>"I'm sorry it had to end this way, I'm so sorry..." Morgana said, watching the demon droop lifelessly to the ground.<br/>"Grandma, you were amazing!" <br/>"Killing should always be a last resort. Taking the life of another living thing, without the purpose of feeding or defending yourself, is evil. I want you to always remember that, Elisabeth." Morgana took a black lace handkerchief to wipe her bloody hand.<br/>"I know, Grandmother..." <br/>"Very well." The raven-haired woman nodded in satisfaction. Then she turned to Giovanni, "Is everything all right, little human?"<br/>Giovanni looked at the woman in front of him with a mixture of terror and respect, apparently unable to respond.<br/>"His name is Giovanni..." Elizabeth's voice was low and guilty, "he is my friend..."<br/>"A little Italian in Purgatory? What a nice surprise!" The woman approached the boy slowly, so as not to scare him, "will you show me your arm?"<br/>"Yes, ma'am..." Giovanni's voice was a hoarse whisper, "thank you for saving us..."<br/>Elisabeth wanted to say something about that she too could have killed the demon, but wisely kept those thoughts to herself.<br/>"What a polite young man. I'm very glad my granddaughter is spending time with a young man who knows good manners. Perhaps chivalry is not dead after all." Morgana looked ecstatic.<br/>"Fortunately, the arm is not broken. It will be a little swollen tomorrow, but nothing that healthy rest won't fix." She smiled, returning the arm. "For the wound on your forehead, I recommend a nice band-aid instead."<br/>"Thank you, ma'am..." Giovanni, helped by Elizabeth, got back on his feet.<br/>"Are you angry, grandmother?" There was no visible reason to think so, but Elisabeth was concerned.<br/>"I'm not irate, child. But I just don't think this is the right place to have this conversation." She replied.<br/>"Pongo!" Suddenly, Giovanni ran toward the broken door of the house.<br/>Elisabeth hesitated; she wanted to follow the boy, but didn't know if she had permission.<br/>"Go ahead, Elisabeth. I'll wait for you in the forest over there, don't be late." Morgana said, disappearing shrouded in a purple cloud.</p>
<p>Fortunately, Pongo was fine. He was just hiding under the couch, waiting for the worst to pass.<br/>"I don't know why I confused him with the owner... I'm sorry, Elisabeth..." Pongo said, looking at the young girl with those languid black eyes.<br/>"Don't worry, puppy." Elisabeth patted him between the ears.<br/>"He got a terrible scare too..." noted Giovanni, not knowing that the dog and his friend had a real conversation.<br/>"Are you sure you're okay?" Elisabeth asked, looking at the boy's pale, scratched face, "I got a fright when I saw you fall out like that..."<br/>"Thanks to your grandmother... And you..." he blushed, "I know you would have protected me at all costs..."<br/>"I would have. We're friends."<br/>"It's nice to have a friend," he smiled.<br/>"What are you going to tell your father?" Elizabeth focused on the doorway without a door.<br/>Giovanni was silent a few seconds, then, "I think I'll tell him the truth. But without revealing to him who it was that saved me... I think that's the best thing..."<br/>"Maybe so." Elizabeth agreed. "I have to go now... my grandmother is waiting for me... and you need to sleep..." she observed, watching him yawn.<br/>"Good idea..." <br/>"So I'll see you tomorrow on the hill, right?" Elizabeth asked, advancing toward the door.<br/>"I'll be there as soon as I can." The boy replied.</p>
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<p>"Grandma..." Elisabeth said as she reached her, "there is so much I want to tell you and more I need to ask you..."<br/>The woman nodded, walking towards the forest, "I think it's time for you to really know your story, Elisabeth."<br/>The young woman simply walked to her grandmother's side in silence.<br/>"Some things might scare you, some things might hurt you. Some others you might not understand. But our past is part of us, we can't change it or even forget it, the only thing we can do is accept it and learn from it."<br/>"I think I'm ready. I only ask one thing of you, Grandma."<br/>Morgana stopped to look into her eyes.<br/>"I want to know everything. All about my origins, my mothers' story, Aunt Wynonna's, and even your story, which I really don't know anything about..."<br/>"Very well, young maiden.... let us find a quiet place." Morgana nodded, accepting the girl's terms.<br/>"There is a place... Is the hill where I wait for the sun every morning. It's my special place..."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>* Goodbye, hunter.</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Morgana ed Elisabeth</h2></a>
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<p>The hill rested in the middle of a clearing surrounded by forest. The lights of the city were far away, this allowed to observe the starry sky without any light pollution. It was a peaceful place and somehow far away from time.<br/>"It's a lovely place." Asserted Morgana, who had preferred a comfortable oak stump to the grass.<br/>Elisabeth, who had no problem sitting on the grass, now almost yellowed by the cold and damp with dew, looked around and, gratified as if she were the creator of that place, said, "thank you, grandma."<br/>"Part of me," the woman began, "is disturbed that, despite your young age, you are already confronted with such a delicate matter as death."<br/>The young woman seemed to ponder the words for a few seconds, then said, "Grandma, you're also dead, somehow. Besides, you always told me that there is nothing wrong with death: it is part of life and we must accept it, even if it makes us suffer."<br/>Morgana smiled at her granddaughter with love and tenderness, but also with approval, "I am very happy to hear these words, Elisabeth. The shade of death I was referring to is another: murder. We can imagine life as a candle that everyone has inside. Lights come in various shapes, colors, and sizes..."<br/>"The life span." Elizabeth said, showing that she was getting the point.<br/>"Exactly." Morgana nodded. "These candles have their own predetermined length. Killing is like blowing on the flame when the wax is not yet exhausted. To take the light away from a living thing is a waste: we could never know, at that point, what the creature would do with the time it had left to live. Billions upon billions of possibilities that will never come to pass,  possibilities that were rightfully theirs."<br/>"Don't you believe in fate, Grandma? Don't you think that maybe if someone is killed it's because the candle was almost out?"<br/>The woman remained silent as she watched the flickering stars in the night sky.<br/>"Grandma? Did I say something wrong?" Elisabeth asked, concerned.<br/>"You didn't say anything wrong, Elisabeth, I was reflecting on your words." She replied, smiling at her.<br/>Elisabeth wondered if indeed a creature that had lived for over five hundred years still had something to understand or learn. She asked her.<br/>"The moment we stop looking for answers, stop being curious and open to the stimuli of the world, that's when we really die." She replied. "Going back to your words, I want to ask you a question: what would you do if someone killed your mothers or someone you love? If he did it without the need to defend himself or eat?"<br/>Elisabeth did not hesitate, "I would kill him!"<br/>Morgana nodded, "exactly. Blood calls for blood. A cycle of violence that could potentially never find an end."<br/>"The world has always been a violent place..." Elisabeth said, "right now one animal is mauling another, and probably a human being is killing one of his own kind...maybe there's nothing wrong with that: maybe that's just the way it is."<br/>"Perhaps so." Morgana replied, "or perhaps, beings who have evolved by developing complex language and consequently as many complex forms of civilization, should act differently."<br/>"Humans are incapable of living in peace...history is proof of that." Elisabeth looked up at the sky, as if she was searching for the right words with which to express her thoughts. "I think violence makes me suffer too, because something inside tells me it's not okay. But then, as I interact with the world, I get the doubts I was telling you about, until I wonder if, in the end, it's just right."<br/>"To this day I am the longest living being still walking the earth, yet, it pains me to admit that I do not know where my truth ends and yours begins. Perhaps a truth does not exist and each of us should live as we see fit. But first I want to ask one last question: have we ever tried to change the reality around us? By stopping accepting it as it was?"<br/>Elisabeth didn't need to think about it for long, "no. Or rather, some attempts will surely have been made, but nothing strong enough."<br/>"I agree, granddaughter." <br/>"Why are we having this kind of conversation? Why did you decide to talk to me about my past...why tonight, Grandma? I like talking to you so much because you treat me as your equal, as someone who can be as smart as you are. It's just that I'd like to understand."<br/>"Never stop asking, never stop being curious, my child." Morgana patted her head, before answering. "I feel that something is changing or has already changed. And I feel the need to know who you are and who you will become, Elizabeth."<br/>"One more thing, why were you near my friend's house? I thought you were looking for the two kids."<br/>Morgana smiled, "I sensed a change in you and wanted to see what would happen. It happened suddenly, at the same time with your mom, Waverly."<br/>"My new power..." Elizabeth had almost forgotten: it was as if it had always been there.<br/>"May I ask what ability you learned?" Morgana was visibly curious.<br/>"Of course, Grandma. I think I can talk to animals, or get them to talk in English, anyway... I don't know if it works with all animals or just dogs, though, or even just Pongo..."<br/>"Amazing!" Morgana stood up, "it's one of the rarest skills, almost unique!"<br/>"It's a fun thing, but I don't find it very useful." Elizabeth admitted. "What do you know about Mom's instead? And why did we both get our powers tonight?"<br/>"One thing at a time," Morgana said, sitting back down composedly on the stump. "Don't underestimate the gift you've received: imagine being in a forest and not knowing what the threat is. You could ask the fauna that dwell there to be your eyes, for example."<br/>"I hadn't thought of that... so it seems much less pointless..." the girl replied.<br/>"As for your mom, I still don't know what new power she has acquired. But knowing that young vampire, it's certainly going to be something important."<br/>"Are there useless gifts too? Do they exist?" Elizabeth asked.<br/>"Not really," she replied, "but there are some abilities whose practical use requires, for example, a certain environmental condition."<br/>"Give me an example, please."<br/>"I knew a vampire who was able to erect walls of water tens, sometimes hundreds of feet high, but if water was present in small amounts or absent..." Morgana smiled at a memory of which only she could appreciate the nuances.<br/>"Oh... I see." Elizabeth nodded, imagining the scenario.<br/>"Coming to why you and your mother simultaneously awakened a power. I don't think I have a definite answer, I think it lies in your bond." The woman looked down at her hands wrapped in black lace gloves, "I wonder if this night will be enough to tell us everything..."<br/>"There will be the day...and the night after..." Elizabeth replied, a little confused by those words.<br/>"There is one more thing you need to know about your powers, about your nature as a dampir."<br/>"Yes?"<br/>Morgana took some time to choose her words.<br/>"You see, dampirs are very, very rare creatures. Generally developed grotesque features and a brain more like a beast's than a human's." Morgana looked at her, "but you are perfect."<br/>The girl remained silent, curious as to what more her grandmother would reveal to her.<br/>"When your Aunt Wynonna found out that her sister -your mother- was pregnant, I reassured her: I told her that you would be a lovely creature. I had no certainty, I could only hope with all my might..." Morgana smiled, "for Waverly, however, it wouldn't have made any difference: she loved you from the moment she found out you were inside her womb."<br/>Those words had the effect of moistening Elizabeth's eyes, but the girl chased away the tears, and asked, "what about Nicole?"<br/>"Perhaps it will be better to expand on this topic when I tell you your family background, as there are some things to introduce first."<br/>She knew, a part of Elizabeth had always known that Nicole didn't really love her!<br/>"One last thing about dampirs you need to know: usually the gifts they receive are three..." the woman paused, it was as if something had upset her.<br/>Elizabeth was not a silly girl, so she asked the right question, "three as an affront to the trinity, to the sacred...? Because we are beings born far from sunlight...as if we were created by chemosynthesis." Part of her was happy to have finally found a topic in which to introduce that word: she had been waiting for that moment for months.<br/>"Yes, Elisabeth. You are not exactly a child of the night, but you are still a creature of it. Vampires, and their children dampirs, are creatures born from a single seed, or perhaps it would be better to say bite: that of the original vampire: Dracula. The man who renounced God after the death of his beloved -whose name you bear- and whose pain and darkness turned him into a monster destined to kill the Lord's favorite creatures: Men. But you are special, Elisabeth: the sun does not bite your flesh, crosses do not weaken your mind, and no wooden stake can ever kill you." The woman paused briefly, then went on to say, "when a being like you is born, who though belonging to the night vibrates with the colors of the sun, something great is destined to happen."<br/>"Something good or bad?" <br/>"Something great," Morgana repeated, "to which only the witnesses who will assist can give a connotation, whether negative or positive. So says an ancient prophecy."<br/>"Might nothing even happen?" Elizabeth still wasn't really sure what to think about that.<br/>"Of course." Morgana smiled, "after all, it never happened. And prophecies, like legends, have a basis in truth, but they are often detached from reality."<br/>"Well, Grandma, if I get the chance, I'll try to make that change we were talking about earlier."<br/>"I know you will, my child, I am sure of it."<br/>"Now please, Grandma, it's not long before dawn...I'd like to hear, sitting up here, your story."<br/>The woman smoothed her fluffy skirt, "my story..."<br/>"Yes, please..."<br/>"Alright..." Morgana nodded and clearing her throat said, "it's a story that begins a long time ago... when there were no cars yet and people traveled by carriage; when men, women and children trembled as the shadows lengthened, fearing that the sun would never rise again..."<br/>Elizabeth rested her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands, ready to listen.<br/>"I was born in Firenze, Italy, now over six hundred years ago. The night I came to light was dark and the storm raged ominously. The summer storms at the time were even more violent than those we know today, so violent that the doctor could not reach the small suburban village where my parents lived, and which was about to welcome me....<br/>It was my older sister, Costanza, who pulled me out of my mother's now inhospitable womb. Years later, Costanza became the best midwife in Firenze. She chose that profession precisely because, when she was only eight years old, she allowed me to see the light.<br/>Although that was supposed to be a happy day, -even if not blessed by the arrival of the much desired baby boy- my birthday coincided from that moment on with the day of my mother's death. I never knew her, I only have a name for her, Maria, and a face, mine: my sister always told me that there was no difference between her and me, especially when I grew up. But it's been so long now that I can't remember my face."<br/>Elizabeth stood up and, without hesitating even a second, hugged Morgana, wrapping her head with her arms, holding her close to the chest, "I'm so sorry, grandma..." she said, twisting her long raven hair between her fingers.<br/>Morgana returned the embrace with transport, holding the girl close to herself.<br/>"Since you can't see yourself reflected," Elizabeth said, pulling away from her grandmother so she could look at her face, "I can describe your visage to you. Would that please you?" She asked.<br/>Morgana wiped away a tear born of emotion at such a sincere and tender gesture, and said, "You would make me very happy, Elisabeth."<br/>"Okay..." Elisabeth gently rested her hand on the woman's cold skin, "your eyes are big, not like mine, but big. They're dark green, emerald, I'd say, and they have purple highlights, like my mothers'. Your eyebrows are black like your hair, thick and bushy, but they have a nice shape that always makes you look a little pouty or amazed." Elisabeth laughed.<br/>"What about the nose?" Morgana asked, "tell me everything, please."<br/>"Of course! The nose is long and straight, it has a somewhat rigid shape, reminiscent of a chisel stroke on marble, but it ends soft, opening up a bit. Then, let's see... the mouth is half thin: the upper lip is thin, almost a pale pink line, while the lower lip is the same color, but fleshy and soft. Your cheekbones are prominent and high," she said, rubbing her thumbs against the reliefs of the face, "actually, your face is very thin, but it has soft, rounded shapes. Your skin, as you already know, is very pale, but you have three moles: one above your lip, here..." Elisabeth brushed the spot with her index finger, "here, under your cheekbone, and here... under your left eye, exactly like Nicole." The girl smiled at her, "your mom was a beautiful woman, because you are beautiful, grandma."<br/>"The sweetest of creatures." The woman drew the young woman's body against hers again. "Thank you, Elisabeth, you have made me so happy... I could see my mother's face through your words..." Morgana's voice was hoarse and wet with long held tears.<br/>"Don't cry, grandma..." Elizabeth hugged her tighter, prey to a feeling she didn't know and that frightened her.<br/>"They are tears of joy, my child.... is joy." She replied.<br/>That night, Elisabeth had learned that tears did not have only one meaning, it was a somewhat strange discovery, but one that explained many things that had happened in the past.</p>
<p>When Morgana had recomposed herself, she was ready to continue her story.<br/>"My father saw me all his life as the cause of his wife's death. He hated me, and little did he tolerate my sister: accusing her of saving me at the cost of my mother's life, guilty of choosing the wrong life. As you may have guessed, my father was not a good man: what sane person would accuse his barely eight-year-old daughter of killing her mother?<br/>Today we know this, but at the time mental illnesses were seen as actions of the devil when manifested, or simply as character or upbringing. My father, in everyone's eyes, was just a drunken rascal, always ready to start a brawl.<br/>I was about ten years old and my sister was eighteen when he found a way to get rid of me. Costanza had already been working for a couple of years alongside an elderly midwife whose place she would take shortly afterwards. That day, therefore, she wasn't home, but perhaps nothing would have changed anyway... <br/>He took me to the city market as he did every Saturday morning, but this time, the bargaining chip was me...<br/>He sold me for a silver coin or so to a man who was my worst nightmare for the next two years." Morgana sighed sadly.<br/>"Grandma..." Elizabeth couldn't imagine the pain of being sold out by someone who by nature should love and protect you.<br/>"It's okay, child. It was a long time ago, and that diabolical father of mine got an early lesson from life."<br/>"Can you keep going, Grandma? If you want we can stop or continue another time..."<br/>"No, it's okay. The most selfish part of me doesn't want my story to die with me."<br/>"Nicole doesn't know your story?" Elizabeth was surprised.<br/>"No, she doesn't know it like you do and you will..."<br/>"I understand... I will remember your story, Grandma, I will always keep it stored in my mind, every detail, but... but it will still be many centuries, perhaps millennia before you die: when the human being will disappear from the earth."<br/>"I know, granddaughter. But you wanted to hear it, didn't you?"<br/>"Of course I did. Go on then, Grandma..."<br/>Morgana nodded, raising her eyes to the stars, made paler and paler by the imminent coming of the sun, she continued: "the man I was sold to was an innkeeper. He abused me in every way, every reason was good for him to beat me or scold me... he barely gave me any food...<br/>The day my life changed, it seemed like just another day, just another horrible day in my captivity. I still didn't know that the strange man I observed entering the inn bore the effigy of the savior.<br/>He arrived late one evening.<br/>He was the tallest and most handsome man I had ever seen. He walked leaning on a walking stick, on the top of which was the head of a dragon. He wore his long ivory-white hair loose over his shoulders and wore an expensive-looking but strange outfit, in the eyes of a little Italian girl born and raised in Firenze. His face looked young and mature at the same time, I couldn't give him an age: he was the strangest man I had ever met. But the thing that absolutely impressed me the most were his eyes: two black pools in which purple shone...<br/>When I brought him a mug of beer, he turned to look at me. For a moment, I had the feeling that look would kill me. But then he smiled at me, and that smile lit up everything, warming my heart. That was my first crush.<br/>Whenever I could, between serving from one table to the next, I stopped to observe him: he had left the stick with the dragon hanging on the table, tucking the wooden edge between the creature's open fangs. He hadn't even taken a sip of his beer and, at one point, had pushed the candle away, as if he was bothered by light or fire, perhaps both.<br/>On a couple of occasions, I thought he was watching me, too. But lest I delude myself and suffer needlessly, I convinced myself that I had only imagined it.<br/>When I saw him get up from the chair, my heart squeezed: even though he was silent, his presence made me feel safe. I was sure that as long as he was there, nothing and no one could hurt me.<br/>- Innkeeper. - His voice was like thunder. And to my ears his accent sounded something extremely strange: until then, I had only heard people speak in Italian and Tuscan, with the consonants aspirated away and the vowels accentuated... it was the only way I thought people spoke.<br/>When my master came to see what the stranger wanted or hoping to trick him on the price, the white-haired man pointed at me. Showing off a fingernail that looked more like a claw, he asked, -how much do you want for that little creature?-<br/>I didn't know what to think: I was very afraid, but part of me also felt extremely happy.<br/>The master made immediately clear that I was not for sale.<br/>But the stranger was very persuasive, because only five minutes later, dressed in the only filthy clothes I owned, I found myself sitting in a carriage, in front of the man.<br/>-From today you will never be afraid again, creature.- He told me, with that strange way of speaking in Italian and that charming smile. -I see something very special in you.-<br/>You may have already guessed it, but that man was the Count, Count Dracula himself. Of course, at the time I didn't know his story yet." <br/>Elizabeth's jaw was in danger of dropping to the grass, but the girl preferred to let her grandmother finish the story before the sun interrupted her.<br/>"He took me north, to Milano." Morgana continued, "He had a castle with a huge library that he told me, was all for me. But I didn't know how to read or write, so he taught me.<br/>Once I discovered literature, I became insatiable... luckily, despite all the books I read, I never ran out: he gifted me at least six new volumes a month.<br/>My life had suddenly become wonderful, full of adventures made up of stories and kindnesses from my savior, in exchange for only a little help in governing the castle, since we were the only ones living there: no servants.<br/>But in all this, I had not forgotten my sister Costanza. However, I waited three years, I was now fifteen, before asking the Count if I could make a trip to visit my family. I had not expressed my wish before because I was afraid that he might understand my words as those of an ungrateful woman.<br/>The Count was, as always, well disposed towards me: he gave me money and a carriage.<br/>Unfortunately, as soon as I returned to my hometown, I learned that my sister had died of typhus, and my father had suffered the same fate only a month before Costanza.<br/>The death of my sister was a terrible grief. I regret to say that I felt nothing for my father.<br/>I returned to Milano where, year after year, the Count began to reveal more and more things to me, until the day of my thirty-third birthday. That evening he revealed to me that he was a vampire and all that it entailed. I didn't flinch, I didn't feel any fear: he was my savior, my God.<br/>Just three years later, shortly before he disappeared, he turned me into a vampire, asking me to find other worthy creatures to welcome into the night.<br/>I waited for his return for a couple of years, then moved to Torino, where I met your mother, Nicole. But that's another story." Morgana had to speed up the narrative a bit because dawn was lurking behind the farthest, tallest mountain.<br/>"But..." Elizabeth felt her head spinning from all the new information, one in particular, was giving her some difficulty, "but so Nicole isn't really your daughter?"<br/>Morgana smiled, "no, Nicole is not biologically my daughter. But that never mattered at all. I'm not your grandmother, not naturally, but I love you without a difference."<br/>"Wow...I had no idea..." Elizabeth scratched her head under her fiery red hair, "that's why you look nothing alike... in anything..."<br/>The woman laughed amused at the comment, covering her mouth with her hand wrapped in black lace.<br/>"Listen, Grandma... I want to ask you a question, speaking of kinship ties..."<br/>Morgana looked to the horizon, assessing how much longer it would take for the sun to rise.<br/>"Ask away, child."<br/>"Why do I have two mothers?"<br/>That question hadn't stumped Morgana, "when you become an adult, -harmoniously between mind and body- you'll find that you can choose how to build your family. I chose Nicole, for example. Your two mothers chose each other: they fell in love. You will be able to choose whether to live your life alongside that young friend of yours, alongside a girl, or more, alongside a boy who was once a girl and vice versa. It will be your instincts and your heart that will guide you to the other half that will complete you, you will just have to listen to them."<br/>Elisabeth wasn't sure she understood, but somehow those words seemed to bring with them a sense of tranquility and comfort.<br/>"Stand up, Elisabeth. We must say goodbye."<br/>The girl did as she was told.<br/>The woman pulled something from one of the folds of her black skirt: a letter.<br/>"Don't open it now, Elizabeth." Morgana said, handing it to her.<br/>"And when?" The girl asked, taking the envelope.<br/>"Your instincts will tell you when to do it, I have no doubt."<br/>"What if I can't listen to my instincts? What if I open it too late or too early?" Elizabeth didn't know the meaning of that gesture, she just couldn't guess what that letter might contain.<br/>"When the time comes you will know." Morgana bent down and, taking Elizabeth's cheeks in her hands, gave her a kiss on the forehead. It was a strange kiss that seemed destined to never end, yet when it drew to a close it seemed to have lasted too short a time. "Always follow your heart, Elisabeth, but never forget your mind." With those words, Morgana vanished into a purple cloud only a second before a ray of sunlight hit the hill.<br/>"I'll see you later, Grandma..."</p>
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<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Duality</h2></a>
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<p>Waverly was moaning and panting heavily. Interestingly, it was only during those moments with Nicole that her lungs expanded and re-descended with the oxygen that was now not spreading through her bloodstream feeding the body's tissues. Even though six years had passed, it still amazed her.<br/>Nicole's hips rose and fell fast and regular between Waverly's thighs. Having sex with her had always been an experience that included her every sense. It was something that made her feel good, really good...it was right and magnificent.<br/>"Nicole..." the young vampire realized that Nicole's rhythm had become irregular and her body was beginning to stiffen. <br/>It was almost impossible for vampires to generate new life, and the outcome was totally unknown, moreover, Waverly didn't want any more children.<br/>"No kids..." Nicole had also begun to breathe, despite the fact that even for her, it was completely unnecessary. "There's...there's a tree but no presents..."<br/>Waverly couldn't hold back a laugh: the way Nicole had referred to her testicles had triggered a hilarity that was impossible to contain, and now her body was shaken by that laughter.<br/>"Don't laugh...don't laugh!" Nicole let herself fall onto Waverly's body. She was still inside her but motionless.<br/>"Sorry, love..." Waverly continued to laugh. She felt happy, that was such a pleasant moment to live: the moon was shining in the sky and the love of her life was one with her body.<br/>"I'll have to start over..." Nicole also smiled as she rested her face between her wife's neck and shoulder. "You're worse than a child: it wasn't that funny..." she muttered.<br/>In a split second, Nicole found herself with her shoulders pressed to the ground and Waverly's body on top of hers, "now it's my turn." the young vampire announced. <br/>"I love it when you take the reins..." she whispered, watching Waverly's eyes in which lust and tenderness danced in harmony on the now purple iris.<br/>The vampire's organ slowly penetrated inside. Waverly's movements were slower and more gentle than Nicole's. She loved to take her gently, calmly and tenderly.<br/>The red-haired vampire suddenly felt full and complete. It rarely happened that Waverly was the one leading the games, but when that happened it was definitely always an unforgettable experience.<br/>Waverly's arms encircled the vampire's body beneath her, and her mouth dispensed kisses on her neck and jaw.<br/>When the moment was near, Nicole's arms also gripped the young woman's body tighter and her nails dug into her back.<br/>The two women remained embraced by each other as the orgasm shook them pleasantly violent and liberating.<br/>"I love you..." Nicole kissed Waverly's forehead, which was resting on her bare breasts.<br/>"I love you too, baby..."<br/>"Sorry?" A small voice had just broken the spell.<br/>"Jesus!" Waverly lifted her head, "how long have you been there?" She asked, addressing the demon who was little bigger than a capybara.<br/>"Oh, he's been there since the beginning..." Nicole looked amused, "it turns me on to be watched being fucked."<br/>Waverly covered her face with the hands, if she could she would surely blush.<br/>"I wanted to thank you... We were just leaving..." the rodent looked uncomfortable, "I'm sorry, but I didn't know how to get your attention earlier..."<br/>"No problem, mouse." Nicole said, stroking the hair of Waverly, who continued to hide her face, embarrassed.<br/>When the forest became quiet again and the footsteps had now been swallowed by the night, the young vampire let herself fall to her wife's side, "I was so absorbed I didn't notice him..." she admitted.<br/>"They..." Nicole snickered.<br/>"Oh...great...!"<br/>"Let's go home, the sun will be up in a few minutes." She stood up, "and I have to come up with a good excuse for not going to work..."<br/>Waverly got to her feet as well, "oh, that's right: you were on shift this night..."</p>
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<p>Elizabeth sat on the stump left empty by Morgana. She still held the letter between her fingers, looking at it as if it could suddenly start talking and explain everything to her.<br/>She wished that night had lasted much longer: Morgana had not been able to tell her the story of Aunt Wynonna and her mothers. No matter, she would have waited until she got home or the next night.<br/>It was a smell that distracted the young woman from her thoughts: the smell of blood.<br/>It didn't take long to identify the source: a man was approaching.<br/>Elisabeth watched him walk slowly up the hill. He was really a strange figure: all dressed in a white raincoat, a hat of the same color, but it was certainly not those details that alarmed the young woman and forced her into a defensive position. <br/>The man lowered his sword, resting it on the ground and using it as a stick, "hello." He said simply, stopping a few steps away from her.<br/>"Hi..." Elizabeth replied. She didn't stop the pose even though she didn't sense anything threatening coming from the man.<br/>"Are you lost?"<br/>"No, I'm not lost." She looked briefly at the huge cross the man wore as a necklace, wondering why the hell anyone would walk around with something so strange and heavy.<br/>The man nodded, "Would it offend you if I asked what species you belonged to?"<br/>The girl thought quickly, "I'm an elf." It seemed like the smartest thing for her to say. "And what are you? You look human..."<br/>"I'm human." He seemed to be thinking about something, then said, "you have the same color eyes as those two women... they were probably elves too, then..." he took off his hat revealing white hair shining in the sun. "Lucky me. Elves are extremely rare creatures to meet, some even think they don't exist."<br/>"Yes, they were definitely elves..." <br/>"Very good." The man put his hat back on, "have a nice day." He said, walking past her and down the hill.<br/>"Have a nice day you too..." she replied, a little confused by the unexpected encounter.<br/>That hill was starting to get a little too busy.</p>
<p>Elisabeth had to wait a couple more hours before she saw the slender figure of Giovanni approach the relief rising in the clearing.<br/>"Hi. How's the arm?" Elisabeth approached him, stopping halfway up the hill.<br/>Giovanni looked tired and upset.<br/>"It hurts a little." He admitted, instinctively massaging the affected area.<br/>"Something wrong?" She asked, as they walked back up. She had noticed her friend's expression.<br/>"No... I'm just tired." He said, sitting down on the dry grass made warm by the sun. "How was your night? You look like you haven't slept...do you sleep?"<br/>Elizabeth sat down in front of him, crossing her legs, "I like to sleep, but I don't need to." <br/>"Wow... that must be very comfortable..." the young man commented.<br/>"Yeah..." Elizabeth couldn't shake the feeling that the young man was hiding something from her.<br/>"This morning, after he fixed the door, my father did something strange..."<br/>"What?" Elizabeth asked, intrigued and surprised that the question of the demon didn't seem to have raised any major questions.<br/>"He's been cooking... " Giovanni lifted his shoulders as if even he could hardly believe the words he had just spoken.<br/>"Doesn't he usually? Do you take care of it?"<br/>Finally the young man smiled, "I didn't even know he could do that..." then he nodded and added, "yeah, I usually do the cooking."<br/>"What can you cook?" Elizabeth asked, genuinely curious to hear the answer.<br/>"Lots of things...mostly Italian cuisine." He looked into her eyes, "what can you do?"<br/>The young woman blushed, "I don't like to cook... let my mother Waverly do it: she cooks well."<br/>"What about your other mother?"<br/>"No, she can't do a damn thing." The words seemed to have chilled everything, even the sun seemed to have stopped warming, and now the autumn air had become more intense.<br/>Giovanni hesitated a few moments. He would have liked to ask her something about why she was angry with her mother, but he preferred not to risk it, so he said, "so, what have you been doing all night?"<br/>The dampir took a deep breath, trying to chase away the darkness at the bottom of her heart, "my grandmother told me her story..." then she slipped a hand into her pocket to retrieve the letter she had put away when she had seen that strange man coming, "and she gave me this."<br/>What is it?" Giovanni asked, taking the envelope between his pale, skinny fingers.<br/>Elizabeth shrugged, "I have no idea. She only told me to open it when my instincts told me to. I'm so curious..."<br/>"Perhaps, in order not to be tempted, you should hide it in a safe place until the time is right." He said, handing the letter back to her.<br/>"Maybe you're right... but where could I put it...?"<br/>"Maybe you could bury it under that tree." The young man pointed to the plant that stood almost on the apex of the hill.<br/>"The moisture would ruin it right away!"<br/>The young man scratched his head under his black hair, "I thought you could put a spell on it to protect it..."<br/>"I believe you are a little confused...did you really think I had magical powers? The answer is no, by the way. Not the way you mean them."<br/>"How was I supposed to know that? Until last night I thought vampires were extinct and I had no idea what dampirs were...!" He crossed his arms over the chest, taking on an offended and childish expression.<br/>Elisabeth realized that she was being unfoundedly bitter, so she apologized, "you're right..."<br/>"It's okay..." Giovanni looked up and tried to smile at her: he didn't want to argue with his new and only friend. "I could get some plastic bags and a metal box, then it would be safe..."<br/>"You really want to bury it down there..."<br/>Before answering, he looked around, "this is going to sound silly...but this place exudes positive energy. If I had something to keep safe I would do it here." He looked at her in that sweet, shy way of his, "but it's yours... you have to be the one to decide..."<br/>"You've convinced me...if you think it's safe, then I'll take your advice."<br/>"I'll run and get the necessary items and be back." He said getting up, "I won't be long!"<br/>"Alright, I'll wait here for you: I can't risk your father seeing me..."<br/>At that moment, heavy clouds came out of nowhere covering the sun.<br/>"Maybe you'd better give it to me, it might get wet if it stays here with you." He suggested, pointing to the envelope.<br/>The girl was uncomfortable with the thought of entrusting that item to other hands; it was an important thing that Morgana had given her.<br/>"It won't rain." She affirmed, looking up at the sky.<br/>Giovanni also looked up, "how can you say that? Look at those black clouds!"<br/>"Smell the air." Was the reply.<br/>He did, "so?" He asked, a little confused.<br/>"There's no smell of sulfur and the light hasn't turned yellowish. It's not going to rain."<br/>"Okay..." he gave up, "I was just trying to be nice. You didn't think I was going to read it, did you?" Now his tone was low, almost sad.<br/>Elizabeth sighed and smiling replied, "no, of course not. I trust you. Hurry up, I'll be waiting."<br/>Giovanni looked very relieved now that those words had been said, "see you later!" </p>
<p>A little over fifteen minutes had passed, when with surprise the young woman noticed that the strange man dressed in white was returning.<br/>"Are you still here? Look, it's going to rain soon." He said to her, stopping in front of her.<br/>This time, the man had neither the sword nor the huge cross, but something even stranger: a baking sheet.<br/>"It's not going to rain." <br/>Weather and cooking seemed to be the topic of the day.<br/>He smiled at her, "See you, elf-girl."<br/>"Bye..." she greeted him.<br/>Elizabeth was not a silly girl, so it took her very little time to connect that pan with what Giovanni had told her.<br/>"I think I just met his father..." she said to herself, watching the man become a white dot on the horizon. "He seems like a nice guy..."</p>
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<p>Nicole was pouring blood into two cups for her and Waverly, when she heard her wife make a prolonged sound that was sweet to hear.<br/>"Oooh! How cute!"<br/>She took a seat next to her at the kitchen table, pulling a cup closer to her, "what's up, honey?"<br/>Waverly turned her cell phone around so Nicole could look at the screen too, "Jack started first grade today."<br/>Nicole laughed as she watched the child smile at the camera lens pointing to a building behind him. "He's already five years old..."<br/>"It seems like just yesterday we were at his christening...outside the church and dressed like widows to protect us from the sun." Waverly smiled at the memory that had a bittersweet taste on it.<br/>"Yeah..." Nicole reached out to touch her wife's forearm.<br/>The young vampire slid the finger over to her cell phone, "here are all three of them..." she said, showing a picture where Xavier Dolls and Wynonna were kneeling on either side of the boy and, like him, smiling happily and proudly.<br/>"The older she gets, the more beautiful Wynonna becomes..." Nicole commented, noticing small wrinkles that were beginning to show on the sides of her mouth and around the black-haired woman's eyes.<br/>"She'll be forty this year...it's just a little while before December..." Waverly set her cell phone down on the table, "When I met you, you and she were the same age: thirty-three. Now she's older and you haven't changed a bit."<br/>"It's been over seven years...love, that's normal..." <br/>The young woman nodded, "you're right, Nicole...but all of this hurts and scares me."<br/>"Wynonna has been clear about this: she doesn't want to be turned."<br/>Waverly looked Nicole in the eyes, "I know. I didn't want to either, but if I had chosen otherwise I would have lost you...and I would have lost our Elizabeth too..."<br/>"Sometimes I feel like I killed you, Waverly...like I killed a part of you." The red-haired woman tightened her grip around her wife's arm more tightly, "but going back I'd still take you into the night like I did...I saw a world where you didn't exist: my life had no meaning anymore."<br/>Waverly rested her hand on Nicole's, "I wouldn't change a thing either, even if I could go back."<br/>Nicole's hand moved from her arm to the nape of the woman's to draw her into a soft kiss full of feeling.<br/>At that moment, someone rang the doorbell.<br/>"It can't be Nedley: I didn't hear the muffler," Waverly said, concentrating. But even so, she couldn't sense the presence of a demon.<br/>"It's not a demon: I don't think they'd ring the doorbell." Nicole stood up.<br/>"I have to argue with that," Waverly also left the table, "almost every demon we've ever met had an embarrassingly low intellectual level..." she commented.<br/>Nicole laughed. Then she said, "well, we can stay here and speculate, or we can go open."<br/>"There's only one problem: it's the middle of the day." Waverly said, heading for the door.<br/>"Let's stay in the shadows of the house." Nicole replied.</p>
<p>Of all the things Nicole and Waverly expected to see, Pietro wasn't even the last.<br/>"You followed us!" Nicole's, rather than a statement sounded like a threat. Noticing that the sky was covered in black clouds, the woman advanced menacingly towards him, "you really want to die!"<br/>"I'm sorry for what happened last night." Unexpectedly, the man smiled, "I brought you something to apologize." He raised the baking pan he was holding, "I hope you like the lemon cake, ladies elf."<br/>Nicole was on the verge of grabbing the pan and cracking it over the hunter's skull, but Waverly stopped her, " ladies elf?"<br/>"Yes, that's how I found you. I asked where I could find purple-eyed women, and the sheriff kindly pointed me to your abode. I thought elves only lived in forests...and I wasn't even sure they existed."<br/>"Are you shitting me? You don't think I believe this charade, do you!?" Nicole yelled, as her eyes glowed with that unnatural, vibrant purple of theirs.<br/>"Twice this morning I met a little girl with the same eyes as you, she was the one who told me you were elves...I didn't think it was offensive..."<br/>That was too much for Nicole, "you don't even dare come near to my daughter!" With a shove she knocked him to the ground. The pan flew into the air, but was promptly retrieved by Waverly. She gently set it down on the ground before snatching Nicole from the hunter's throat.<br/>"Stop. You can't kill him...!"<br/>The man coughed in search of oxygen and, massaging his sore throat he got to his feet, "I don't know how to apologize for my behavior and I swear the girl and I only exchanged a few brief pleasantries. If you could give me a few minutes of your time I would like to explain."<br/>"If I find out you approached my daughter one more time, a thousand men won't be enough to stop your execution!" Nicole threatened him.<br/>"I'd like to tell you something first, Pietro." Waverly interjected, "Poison can't kill us. And if my wife finds out you tried, there's nothing I can do to stop her."<br/>"I'll have a slice of that, too. And by the way, thanks for keeping it from crashing to the ground... it wasn't easy to follow the recipe."<br/>"We'll talk here. And I suggest you make it quick." Nicole conceded.<br/>The man nodded, "you see, ladies elves..."<br/>"We're Waverly and Nicole." The woman extended her hand to end the elves thing. Sure it was very convenient that he thought so, and Elizabeth had been very good, but names would make things easier.<br/>Nicole watched as Pietro's hand and Waverly's hand approached. She had a shiver thinking about when the hunter would realize the frostiness of her skin.<br/>But nothing happened when the two touched. It took Nicole a short time to find out why: the still-warm pan had warmed Waverly's hand. The vampire smiled as she thought back to when she, many years before, had tricked Wynonna in a very similar way.<br/>"I get it. Nice to meet you, Nicole and Waverly."<br/>The red-haired woman was losing what little patience she had left, "Listen to me, stop using that childish tone and hurry up and talk. I don't have all day to waste with your bullshit!"<br/>"Nicole, please hold the pan. I'll go get a knife and a plate." Waverly said, reopening the door the bare minimum to keep the hunter from seeing the darkness of the house.<br/>"You guys don't eat any?" Pietro asked.<br/>Nicole was about to say something that was sure to be offensive, but Waverly was quicker, "we just finished a hearty English breakfast."<br/>"Yeah..." the sound emitted by Nicole dangerously resembled a growl.</p>
<p>Waverly cut a slice of cake and placed it on the plate, then handed it to Peter.<br/>"Thank you. Let's hope it's good..." he picked it up with his hand and took a decidedly exaggerated bite.<br/>"I swear I'll kill him..." Nicole commented, increasingly annoyed by his behavior. It wouldn't have been untrue to say that she preferred him when he was trying to kill her.<br/>He mumbled something, but it was impossible to understand the words, as his mouth was full of cake.<br/>"I didn't understand..." Waverly said, as he tried to swallow as fast as he could.<br/>"Maybe there's a little too much sugar, but it's edible. Not bad, considering it's my first time cooking...!" He said, extremely pleased with himself.<br/>With a flick of her hand, Nicole sent the plate flying out of Pietro's hands, "you really tired me out!" She grabbed him by his white raincoat and smashed him against the wall of the house.<br/>"Nicole, for God's sake! He wasn't doing anything wrong!" Waverly had to grab her wife by the hips to pull her away from him, but the red-haired woman wouldn't let her grip. The result was that Pietro found his head between Nicole's boobs.<br/>After a couple of seconds of heavy discomfort....<br/>"I'm very embarrassed..." he said, clearing his throat, "perhaps I'd better tell you immediately the thing I'm here for, besides an apology, of course..."<br/>"One..." Nicole began to count, "trust me, you don't want to know what happens on three..."<br/>"I'm different at night!" The words had come out like a gasp.<br/>"Much better." Nicole crossed her arms over the chest, as if to show that she wasn't going to use them for the time being.<br/>"I think I intuited that one..." Waverly nodded to encourage him to continue before Nicole actually killed him.<br/>"I have like a double personality..." the man continued, "after midnight I have a bad temper and a not indifferent killer instinct..."<br/>"Oh, so now I'm talking to Jekyll or Hyde?"<br/>Pietro ignored Nicole's joke, "I've been living with it since I was a kid... but now that even the daytime me has met you, I think I won't try to kill you anymore. We could work as a team, since you're hunters too..." the man seemed to think of something funny, because he smiled, "elves hunting demons!"<br/>"No, thank you. Adiós." Nicole was about to go back into the house, but Waverly who was more friendly, said, "thank you for telling us. Things will be easier from now on..."<br/>When the two were closing the door behind them, the man added, almost shouting, "I don't mind gays, by the way!"<br/>"Now that I have your blessing I feel very much at peace with myself." Nicole slammed the door in his face.</p>
<p>Waverly watched the hunter walk away, peering through a small hole in the wall, large enough to see outside but small enough to keep the sun from coming in.<br/>She was about to join Nicole in the kitchen when she heard her scream.<br/>It was the most heartbreaking scream Waverly had ever heard, it had something inhuman about it that seemed to contain all the suffering and pain in the world.</p>
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